Mountain View - Minor PUD Amendment Ordinance 1862wgm@wgmgroup.com
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MINOR PUD AMENDMENT REQUEST
DATE: October 31, 2025
TO: PJ Sorensen, Assistant Director of Development Services
FROM: WGM Group on behalf of Bison Hill, LLC
CC: Patrick Jentz, PE; Gary Schnell; Site Review Committee
RE: Mountain View Planned Unit Development, Phase 2 – Minor Amendment Request
On October 24, 2025, we met with PJ Sorensen and Patrick Jentz to review some minor modifications
to the approved Mountain View PUD layout. The request was to make a minor change to the internal lot
access to accommodate the topography of the site; namely removing a section of local street in the lot
layout. See Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Locations of Road Sections to Be Removed Based on Topography
SECTION VIEW
SHOWN IN FIGURE 3
BELOW
City of Kalispell
October 31, 2025
Page 2 of 4
Justification for Access Adjustments:
After reviewing topography in detail on the second phase of the Mountain View Subdivision preliminary
plat, it was noted that in order to accommodate these short sections of City Streets it would require
significant deviation from standard intersection and approach requirements to accommodate
intersection grading. Specifically, section 9.1.3.F:
Figure 2: Section 9.1.3.F of City of Kalispell Design and Construction Standards
Given the distance between the two east-west roads in these locations, a total of 222 feet with 60 feet
of 2% intersections at either end, and a 20-foot alley, there is very little distance to make up for the
underlying grades. This results in substantial fill moving north on the site to accommodate the
intersection grading for both the roads and the future lots.
Proposed Modification:
To work with the grades and capture the desired intent of the PUD layout, it is proposed to drop the
southern local street access to the alley on the two sections noted in Figure 1 above. This would keep
the northern access point to the alley to break up the access through a long alley, but to allow more
appropriate intersection grades at the east west local streets to the alley. The PUD approval
(Ordinance 1862), included a block length deviation, to exceed the 600 ft block length, and in these
locations proposed to have vehicle access removed, an open space gap is proposed to mimic other
areas on the site with a minimum of 20 ft and in this case 30 ft minimum to perpetuate view corridors
and break the block up. This helps to accomplish the desired “Stadium Seating” concept for the homes
to work with the site’s topography rather than against it. The southern alley accessed lots would be
graded steeper, closer to 15% and the northern lots would be flatter to provide a more gentle grade
between the Road F and the Southern Alley and Road H and the Middle Alley (see Figure 1). A
conceptual cross section is included below in Figure 3 to help illustrate how the homes would fit in with
this modification and the elevation difference between the roads and alleys, full size exhibits are
included as supplements to this memorandum. It also shows the existing grade vs. the proposed
grades.
City of Kalispell
October 31, 2025
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Figure 3: A Conceptual Cross-Section Located at Original Alley Access
City of Kalispell
October 31, 2025
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Summary and Conclusion:
In regard to the approved deviations, the proposed modifications remain in compliance with the
deviations allowed or are not utilizing them.
1. Minimum Lot size reduction to 3500 sf.
a. This minor amendment is not applicable to this portion of the development, and no changes
are proposed that affect this deviation with this minor amendment.
2. Minimum Lot Width reduction to 35 ft for detached cottages and 30 ft for attached units
a. This deviation is not applicable to this portion of the development; all single family lots
utilizing the proposed modification remain wider than the minimum 50 ft.
3. Block widths allowed in excess of 600 ft.
a. This section continues to have block widths in excess of 600 ft and still maintains a break in
the lots with the proposed open space gap between lots even though the southern half of
the alley access road is proposed to be removed.
4. Driveway access to collector Roads allowed where alleys are not feasible.
a. The lots along the collector road will continue to utilize this deviation with the “no parking”
signs. No changes are proposed with this minor amendment request.
5. Cottage alleys as an alternative street section
a. This minor amendment is not applicable to this portion of the development, and no changes
are proposed that affect this deviation with this minor amendment.
6. Alleys with townhouse development.
a. This minor amendment is not applicable to this portion of the development and no changes
are proposed that affect this deviation with this minor amendment.
No detriment to public welfare would be created by allowing the layout update. The blocks of houses
continue to be broken up by the open space as allowed by the deviation, and the one side of street
access provided in the center of the alleys makes the concept work better with the existing topography.
This allows for improved intersection grades to the central alley access points. The number of lots will
remain the same and this request does not intend to modify the approved number of lots or change the
site traffic generated. This proposed layout modification should be considered a minor change to the
approved Mountain View PUD Ordinance 1862.