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Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail Crossing revised proposal - PLEASE STOP THIS PERMIT MADNESS!!! Public Comment from Amy Vanderbilt Aimee Brunckhorst From: Amy Vanderbilt <avandy325@live.com> Sent: Monday, November 4, 2024 12:27 PM To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment; Kirstin Robinson Subject: EXTERNAL Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail Crossing revised proposal - PLEASE STOP THIS PERMIT MADNESS!!! Importance: High Dear Kalispell City Council members, This revised public comment submission is a repeated request to halt any approval for this proposed building permit. The revised proposal only eliminates 25 units. Seriously?!? Existing city regulations stipulate that no building will leave the area with less or degraded services than currently exist. There is NO adequate infrastructure at this time to consciously allow this over-reaching proposal to move forward. The revised permit proposal is an insult! Maybe someday once road and water infrastructure on Whitefish Stage and Tronstad is sufficient to handle any further expanded volume, the proposal can be revisited with a total unit count of something like 50-100 units. PLEASE, you MUST consider the existing living esthetics in this rural area! Do any of you remember the refrain to Joni Mitchell's 1970's song Big Yellow Taxi? "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot." That was an ominous foreboding of what is happening in Kalispell and the Flathead Valley. There were reportedly 1300 housing units listed for sale in October. How many housing units are currently under construction? Again, I implore the city to have the planning department re-assess the total count of new housing units currently under construction - or commitment to build - to accurately reflect the new influx of housing units within the city limits. Kalispell and the Flathead Valley are already in grave danger of gross over development that will further exacerbate the congestion, de-grade and de-value the overall quality of life here in Kalispell and throughout the Flathead Valley. We're 'killing our golden goose.' Let's be better than that!!! Please step back on this proposal!!! Respectfully, /s/ Amy Vanderbilt 684 Jackson View Trail Kalispell, MT 59901 406-752-7660 avandy325@live.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- Previously submitted comments: I respectfully (resubmit with pertinent updates for the latest proposal) submit the following comments regarding the proposed development and annexation of the 110- acre parcel on the north side of Tronstad Road; the Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail Crossing. Even at the revised density of 350+ housing units, this proposal is NOT APPROPRIATE forl this location now or in the future. The current authorized lot size of 2.5 acres should remain in place. There should be a full open public comment period to invite and hear/read comments from the public regarding this (or similar) high density As a full-time, year-round resident living approximately 1/2 mile south of this proposed development on Jackson View Trail, I am extremely concerned about the impacts to our rural lifestyle in this area east of US 93 based on the following points: Traffic: While the (revised) plan addressed impacts for Tronstad and US 93, Whitefish Stage is largely ignored. As you likely know the section of Whitefish Stage between Reserve and Hodgson has been of concern since the late 1990's when former County Commissioner Dale Williams gained notoriety for taking people on a high-speed tour of the road. There are grossly inadequate and very unsafe sections of road shoulder, very deep ditches, no bike lanes, and already congested traffic from cars attempting to avoid the Reserve congestion, using Tronstad and Rose Crossing as alternates. The proposed development of 380+ homes on Tronstad would significantly add to these stated problems. Long-Term Infrastructure Planning: There has not been a comprehensive plan regarding roads, traffic, and infrastructure in this area. As evidenced from the soon-to- be-started improvements to Reserve, the project did not look at Whitefish Stage - nor provide future plans - for that road. The proposed Tronstad Meadows & Whitetail Crossing development would rapidly exacerbate the existing problems. There is no timeline yet (that I am aware of) for Montana Department of Transportation funding for rebuilding of Whitefish Stage north of Reserve and such a large development near Whitefish Stage should be tabled until such time as that rebuild occurs. It is foolhardy to consider a subdivision of such scope and size without having the adequate infrastructure in place before hand. 2 Traffic Study: The study associated with the proposed development was a huge underestimate of Whitefish Stage activity. Try coming north on Whitefish Stage most afternoons during the school year! That doesn't even account for summer traffic when Reserve (and now Rose Crossing) traffic is exponentially higher at all times of the day. Vehicles routinely have to sit through at least three or four traffic light cycles to continue north across Reserve, and again the addition of 380+ homes would exacerbate this dramatically. The associated study seems to have been conducted in a perfunctory manner to check off a box and completed when traffic volume was at its lightest time of the year, in February! Kalispell City Water Supply Concerns: With the recent PFAS/ PFOS contamination in the northern Kalispell Grandview wells, it does not make sense to add so many homes to the system until the existing issue is resolved. With the March 2024 well re-testing, the northern Grandview well tested at 13 ppt, well over the newly- established EPA maximum allowable 4 ppt. This is a no-brainer decision; STOP! Impacts to historic rural life style, lack of consideration for ongoing open space in long range planning for Flathead County: Kalispell and Flathead County are some of the fastest growing areas in the country. We are in danger of "killing the golden goose" if growth and development continues at the rate it has been at for the last few years. Yes, there (has been) is a dire need for affordable, sustainable housing for those who live and work in Kalispell. But I urge you (the Planning Board) to step back and assess how many housing starts and apartments we currently have under construction right now. I submit that we are closer to meeting the projected long term goals than we realize. This development will (NOT EVEN) address affordable housing needs anyway. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I respectfully submit the following comments regarding the proposed development and annexation of the 110-acre parcel on the north side of Tronstad Road; the Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail Crossing. This is NOT the right area for such high density housing to be allowed!!! I respectfully disagree with the staff of the planning office that this area is already becoming urbanized. Two wrongs DO NOT make a right!!! Even at the revised density of 355 housing units, this proposal is NOT APPROPRIATE for this location now or in the future. The current authorized lot size of 2.5 acres should remain in place. There should always be a full open public comment period to invite and hear/read comments from the public regarding this (or similar) and other high density housing permit requests throughout the valley. 3 As a full-time, year-round resident living approximately 1/2 mile south of this proposed development on Jackson View Trail, I am extremely concerned about the impacts to our rural lifestyle in this area east of US 93 based on the following points: Traffic: While the revised plan addressed impacts for Tronstad and US 93, Whitefish Stage is largely ignored. As you likely know the dangerous condition of the section of Whitefish Stage between Reserve and Hodgson has been of concern since the late 1990's when former County Commissioner Dale Williams gained notoriety for taking people on a high-speed tour of the road. There are grossly inadequate and very unsafe sections of road shoulder, very deep ditches, no bike lanes, and already congested traffic from cars attempting to avoid the Reserve congestion, using Tronstad and Rose Crossing as alternates. (Even more so since road improvements are underway on Reserve Road through 2025. The revised proposed development of 355 homes on Tronstad would significantly add to these stated problems. Impacts to historic rural life style, lack of consideration for ongoing open space in long range planning for Flathead County: Kalispell and Flathead County are some of the fastest growing areas in the country. We are in danger of "killing the golden goose" if growth and development continues at the rate it has been at for the last few years. Yes, there (has been) is a dire need for affordable, sustainable housing for those who live and work in Kalispell. But I urge you (the Planning Board) to step back and assess how many housing starts and apartments we currently have under construction right now. I submit that we are closer to meeting the projected long term goals than are acknowledged. This development will (NOT EVEN) address affordable housing needs anyway. Long-Term Infrastructure Planning: There has not been a sufficiently comprehensive plan regarding roads, traffic, and infrastructure in this area. As evidenced from the soon-to-be-started improvements to Reserve, the project did not look at Whitefish Stage - nor provide future plans - for that road. The proposed Tronstad Meadows & Whitetail Crossing development would rapidly exacerbate the existing problems. There is no timeline yet (that I am aware of) for Montana Department of Transportation funding for rebuilding of Whitefish Stage north of Reserve and such a large development near Whitefish Stage should be tabled until such time as that rebuild occurs. It is foolhardy to consider a subdivision of such scope and size without having the adequate infrastructure in place before hand. Traffic Study: The study associated with the proposed development was a huge underestimate of Whitefish Stage activity. Try coming north on Whitefish Stage most afternoons during the school year! That doesn't even account for summer traffic when Reserve (and now Rose Crossing) traffic is exponentially higher at all times of the day. Vehicles routinely have to sit through at least three or four traffic light cycles to continue north across Reserve, and again the addition of 380+ homes would exacerbate this dramatically. The associated study seems to have been conducted in a perfunctory 4 manner to check off a box and completed when traffic volume was at its lightest time of the year, in February! I understand from the news story in the Daily Inter Lake that there was a study in July. There has been no public sharing of this study. I will not be attending the October 8 public hearing, but if the acoustics are like the summer public meeting, the planner was inaudible. I could not hear nor understand what he was reporting. It would be nice to see a study posted to your website. Kalispell City Water Supply Concerns: With the recent PFAS/ PFOS contamination in the northern Kalispell Grandview wells, it does not make sense to add so many homes to the system until the existing issue is resolved. With the March and July 2024 well re-testing, the northern Grandview well still tested well above the newly established EPA maximum allowable 4 ppt at 11 ppt (I believe), only slightly down from the March 2024 13 ppt. This is a no-brainer decision; STOP! Impacts of Cumulative Night-Sky Pollution: We have lived in our house since 1998. We used to see the Milky Way from our yard due east of Ponderosa Estates That stopped when the Ford Dealership moved to its current location. We were away when it opened. Upon our return, it was like a new city had been built where the Ford dealership now resides. Now granted, the dealership installed far more lights than they received approval for and the light poles and fixtures are white (rather that the dark color that the Architectural Committee approved), but there is now a new Costco and may Toyota rumored to being under construction in the nearby field and more and more light pollution just keeps adding to the problem. With no control over the brightness of LED light emissions, there is no telling how bright the Flathead Valley night sky will get. I. for one, am extremely concerned about the effects of cumulative night sky pollution in the north end of Kalispell and the Flathead Valley near Glacier National Park. What will 380+ new homes and street lights add to the area north of Tronstad and Whitetail Crossing? More night-sky pollution that most of the residents currently living north of Reserve do NOT want and did not move to this currently rural area to experience. Given these concerns, I respectfully request that you deny the Frank Garner, ]on Sonju and MT Seven Properties application to amend the growth policy. While I am in favor of affordable housing (where there is comparable housing) density, which this proposed development would likely (still) NOT provide anyway, the pre- existing rural nature of this remaining part of the Flathead Valley and North Kalispell area alone, should be reason enough NOT to approve this permit. The density concern in combination with the lacking infrastructure, increased traffic, increased safety and water safety issues absolutely DO NOT support the planning board's approval of Tronstad Meadows & Whitetail Crossing. Not now, maybe never, in this particular location. No permit for this area should be authorized until such time as the above stated issues have been addressed. Any permit needs to be at a much lower density such as 44-45 houses on 2.5 acre lots. 5 I implore you NOT to approve this revised permit requestM Sincerely, /s/ Amy Vanderbilt 684 Jackson View Trail Kalispell, MT 59901 406-752-7660 avandy325@live.com 6