10-01-82 Development Comm MinutesCITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
October 1, 1982 - 4 p.m.
THOSE PRESENT: Mayor McDowell, Chairman Wayne Saverud, Gayle Vidal, Gary
Nystul, Howard Grainger and Ed Gallagher from the Community
Development Department
Chairman Saverud opened the meeting by explaining that BN had offered
two options to the County for land exchange and that the County opted for a
10 acre site. Neil Hartman from the Glacier Park Company has started the
proceedings with local firms in both surveys and appraisals. On that Gary
Nystul asked if the options offered by BN included Griffin Park as part of
the 10 acres. Wayye answered yes, that Griffin Park was part of both options
in making the necessary land available for a courthouse complex. Wayne started
a discussion of the legal descriptions and restrictions on the lands contained
within the Lions Park and Daley Ballfields as prepared for Mayor McDowell by
the City Surveyor dated September 29, 1982. All present had copies of this
document. The Mayor asked if there were any plans on taking steps to look
at the land that the City has and that he will be meeting with the County
Commissioners to go over their land inventory. All present thought that this
should be one of the first proceedures and the Mayor said that he, along with
Ed Gallagher, would contact the County officials the latter part of next week
to start the process. Wayne also asked the Mayor if the City Surveyor could
give a survey description on meets and bounds on the two parcels that was given
to the committee (Lions Park and Daley Ballfield) and also Griffin Park. The
Council also Suggested that comparable land values should be established at
this time before going into any professional appraisal.
Gayle said that her Parks Committee was looking at the possibilities of
starting a comprehensive plan and that she had an offer from Jim Thompson to
work with the committee and the community in establishing a plan that would
include recreational financing to the benefit of the many users of a sport
complex and would be more equitable in funding. Gayle said that Jim would be
willing to draw up preliminary plans.
Discussion was held on the possibilities of establishing a complex at
Lawrence Park and Gary wanted to know if there would be enough acreage available
without disturbing the natural area and the committee agreed that it would take
a survey and more planning to determine the actual needs. Ed stated that with
the press present (Mike Heff of the Daily Inter Lake) that the public should be
made aware that this is just in the preliminary planning stage and that any
ballfield that would be eligible would be replaced by one that would meet all
of the present requirements or possibly better the recreational program with
increased potential. All agreed that in order to have a successful land swap
and increase the recreational potential, that there has to be cooperation between
the City and County officials with a lot of community support. The Mayor again
stated that the start of next week will be very busy but that he would contact
Joan Deitz to set up a meeting to discuss possible land exchanges as soon as
possible.
ANALYTICAL EVALUATION TO ESTABLISH NEED AND LOCATION
FOR A REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTER IN THE KALISPELL AREA
The following is a summary of the considerations given by the Flathead Regional
Development Office in determining the potentials for locating a major shopping
center in Kalispell.
THE NEED:
The City of Kalispell, due to its unique geographic setting, serves, or has
potential to serve, as a retail trade center for an unusually large region. The
retail trade area of Kalispell is conceived to be comprised of Flathead, Lake
and Lincoln Counties. According to the 1980 census, the total population within
the service area is 88,774. This represents an increase of 23.4% over the 1970
population. Based on this growth trend, it is estimated that the population in
the retail service area should be over 100,000 by the year 1990. In addition,
the service area also has significant transient population in the form of
vacationers and conventioners. It also draws a considerable number of shoppers
from Canada.
The planning standards suggest a service area population of 100,000 or more
for a regional shopping center and a population size of 50,000 or more for a
community shopping center. Based on the above -stated analysis, Kalispell and
its vicinity is deemed to have adequate population within the service area to
support a community shopping center and should have adequate population by 1990
to support a regional shopping center. The size considerations for these two
types of shopping centers are:
Community Shopping, Center
Regional Shopping Center
MINIMUM LEASEABLE NUMBER OF
SITE AREA AREA STORES
10 acres 100,000 to 15-40
300,000 sq.
ft:
30 acres 300,000 to 40-80
1,000,000
sq..ft.
(`the Buffalo Hill shopping center is proposed on 52 acres with approximately
300,000 square feet of gross leaseable area).
THE LOCATION:
Having established the need, the next phase in the planning process is to
determine optimum location for such a center within or near Kalispell.
A regional shopping center should meet the following criteria:
1. Should be centrally located within the region;
2. Should have convenient regional and local accessibility;
3. Should be in the growth direction of the community;
4. Should have adequate residential areas nearby or should have potential for such
deve Iopment ;
5. Should not be in an already congested area;
6. Should be sufficiently away from any existing major commercial developments
to avoid congestions and adverse impacts;
7. Should have the availability of municipality services such as water,
sewer, police protection and fire protection;
8._ Should have zoning in the surrounding area to protect the investment and
to have a low insurance rating.
The City of Kalispell has developed along its two major highways, U.S. Highway
#2 and U.S. Highway #93, the Central Business District primarily located
at the intersection of these highways. At each end of these highways, at the
entrances into the City, are major commercial complexes except at the northern
end of U.S. Highway #93. Kalispell's growth axis has been predominently towards
the North and Northeast. This is primarily due to the strong interdependency
and proximity that.exists between Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls. There-
fore, the optimum location for regional facilities, including a shopping mall,
is determined to be in that direction of Kalispell's vicinity.
Having established the general area in which the regional shopping center should
be located, and implying the criteria that the shopping center should have direct
access from a major highway, two potential locations were considered for further
evaluation. These locations were, (i) U.S. Highway #93 North of Kalispell and,
(ii) LaSalle Road, North of Evergreen. Upon applying the previously delineated
locational criteria, the location on U.S. Highway #93 was found to meet all the
criteria to some degree, while the LaSalle Road location was found to be deficient
in terms of criteria numbers 4, 7 and 8. Therefore; the U.S. Highway #93 North
location is,preferred over the LaSalle Road location.
THE SITE:
lfter having determined the optimum location for the regional shopping center,
detailed analysis was done to determine the most desirable site along U.S.
riighway #93 North.
The criteria applied toward this objective were:
I. Should be of adequate size and shape to provide flexibility in design
and avoid congestion;
2. Should be located in such a place to have safe and convenient ingress
and egress;
3. The cost of providing municipal services to the site should be comparatively
minimum;
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4.
Should
have unobstructed
visual exposure from the highway;
5.
Should
be relatively flat
land to facilitate convenient traffic circulation
on the
site;
6.
Should
be compatible with
adjoining land uses;
7.
Should
result in compact
urban growth;
8.
Availability of the site
for shopping center development.
Three potential sites were considered and comparatively evaluated by applying
the above —stated criteria. These sites were, (i) Developers Diversified site at
Buffalo Hill, (ii) the site in the northern vicinity of the intersection of U.S.
Highway #93 and Grand View Drive and, (iii) the vicinity of Highway #93 and Reserve
Drive.
The site number (iii) was found to be lacking in terms of criteria numbers3,.
6 and 7.
The site number (ii) was found to be lacking in terms of criteria numbers
2, 3 and 4.
Site number (i) was found to meet almost all criteria as explained below:
Criteria #1: ADEQUACY OF SIZE AND SHAPE:
The site is approximately 50 acres and by far exceeds the size criteria of 30 acres
for a regional shopping center.
Criteria #2: SAFE AND CONVENIENT INGRESS AND EGRESS:
Site number (i) adjoins Highway #93 where it has four lanes and before it starts
converging into two lanes. Availability of four lanes will provide room for
turning lanes. Further, the highway at this location has comparatively less
grade and good sight distance.
Criteria #3: AVAILABILITY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES:
`-.11 municipal services are available on the site or adjoining the site. No sewer
li.ft station shall be needed because of comparatively higher elevation of the
site. The City of Kalispell has plans of providing a fire substation in the
,,vicinity of this site.
Criteria #4: EXPOSURE FROM THE HIGHWAY:
The site dimensions are almost in a 1:2 proportion with its longer side adjoining
the highway. This will provide full exposure of the mall and its anchor stores
from the highway. Further, the site being on a high elevation should be com—
paratively better visibly to approaching traffic from the North.
Criteria #5: SITE PHYSIOGRAPHY:.
Most of the site is relatively flat with only a slight slope. Such a site con-
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dition is favorable, as it will facilitate surface drainage as well as a safe
and convenient layout of parking areas and on -site traffic patterns.
Criteria #6: COMPATIBILITY WITH ADJOINING LANDUSES:
The site adjoins a vacant tract of land in the East, medical buildings and vacant
land towards the South, Highway #93 on the West with a church and professional
offices across the highway and a residential development to the North. The shopping
center would be compatible with the adjoining land uses except for residential
development to the North. This handicap can be overcome by requiring the developer
to provide an adequate greenbelt as a buffer between the shopping center and
the residential area.
Criteria #7: COMPACT URBAN GROWTH:
The site, although presently unincorporated, is surrounded on three sides by
the Kalispell City Limits. The development of this site as a shopping center
and its annexation into the City would result in achieving a desired compact
development and growth of the City, as it will eliminate an undeveloped island
within the urbanized area.
Criteria #8: AVAILABILITY FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT:
The site is owned by Developers Diversified, who are involved nationwide in
the development of shopping centers and have expressed their desire to develop
a major shopping center on this site. Designating this site for a shopping center
would have a better chance of actual development than the other sites considered.
THE BENEFITS:
The development of the shopping center is anticipated to provide the following
benefits for the City of Kalispell and Flathead County.
- The shopping center and downtown would combine to become "joint nuculei"
of the trade area. The two would combine to increase total market share
and trade area.
The shopping center would enhance the local economic base and would create
additional employment in the area.
The shopping center would curtail the economic leakage resulting from trade
being drawn away to more distant shopping facilities.
The shopping center development North of the City would curb strip com-
mercial developments occuring in that direction because of existing demand,
but lack of planned commercial areas in that location.
- The shopping center will supplement tourism, which is a major segment of
local economy. Shopping centers with specialized shopping facilities are
considered desirable to enhance tourism.
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REFERENCES USED:
1. Urban Land Institute, "COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HANDBOOK".
2. Joseph D. Chiava and Lee Koppelman, "URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN CRITERIA".
3. Upper Midwest Council, "SHOPPING CENTERS AND MEDIUM SIZED CITIES".
4; Clare A. Gunn, "VACATIONSCAPE: DESIGNING TOURIST REGIONS".
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