08/24/01 DI/Panel OKs Mall ZoningPanel
By WILLIAM L. SPENCE
The Daily Inter Lake
Im
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Fewer than 25 people attended a public
hearing Thursday regarding the largest retail
project in Flathead County history.
At stake was a zoning change requested by
Wolford Development, a Chattanooga -based
firm that wants to build a regional shopping
center in Evergreen.
"Our goal is to make this the center for
retail operations in northwest Montana," said
James "Bucky" Wolford, president and CEO of
the company.
Glacier Mall would feature four anchor ten-
ants, he said, each of which would operate
department stores of at least 100,000 square
feet — double the size of anything in the val-
ley today.
"We have commitments from two major
department stores," Wolford said. `Both are
new to the market. They've done their market
studies, and both feel very strongly that they
can come here and succeed."
Another 75 to 80 specialty shops, together
with a food court and a multiscreen theater,
would fill out the center.
"Of those shops, I'd estimate that 85 percent
would be new to this market," Wolford said.
With an initial footprint of 683,000 square
feet — and room to expand to 750,000 square
feet — Glacier.Mall would be the largest
enclosed shopping facility in western Mon-
tana. It would be more than three times the
size of Kalispell Center Mall, which is current-
ly the largest shopping center in the Flathead.
Commissioners Howard Gipe and Dale
Williams deliberated for 15 minutes before
approving Wolford's request to apply B-2 com-
mercial zoning to about 147 acres located just
northeast of the LaSalle Road/East Reserve
Drive intersection.
"We have a regional facility with respect to
medical services, and a regional tourism
industry," noted Williams. "What normally
follows that is regional development for retail.
They're all complementary to one another."
Commissioner Bob Watne was not present.
A master plan amendment still needs to be
approved by the commissioners and the
Kalispell City Council before Wolford can pro-
ceed with his plan.
As with two previous public hearings before
the Kalispell City -County Planning Board, the
number of people who spoke for or against the
project on Thursday was roughly the same.
"I'm a partner in three businesses here,"
said Dan Skiles, who lives adjacent to the pro-
posed mall site.
"When Wal-Mart came in, we had to raise
wages. When Stream (International) came in,
we had to pay more," he said. "When some-
thing this big comes in, it's an economic bene-
fit to the community. Everyone has to raise
their wages to compete for employees."
Wolford estimated that Glacier Mall would
See MALL on Page A
JAMES "BUCKY" WOLFORD, president and CEO of Wolford Development, presents his plans for Glacier Mall to the county commissioners
on Thursday. "Our goal is to make this the center for retail operations in northwest Montana," Wolford said.
about 1,30
employ abotlt'1,300 people, with
a;total annual payroll in the
neighborhood of $30 million,
"In our experience, 20 to 25
percent of those would come
through displacement," he
said, meaning that about 300
jobs would come from existing
businesses that relocate to
Glacier Mall, while about 1,000
new jobs would be created.
Diane Conradi, executive
director of Citizens for a Better
Flathead, said it might be the
,xight time and the right place
for a development this size,
but the information needed to
adequately determine that
hasn't been provided yet.
"The first hearing on this
proposal occurred on Aug. 14.
This is on a fast track and mis-
takes are being made," she
refeing specifically to a
,planning sta`t`f report which
"initially overlooked an unde-
lineated flood plain that cross-
es a portion of the proposed
site.
"This will impact a lot of
folks," Conradi said. "Get the
information you need to make
a good decision. Take the time
to do the right thing."
In addition to approving the
zoning'cliange, the commis-
sioners. also required a
,planned unit development
overlay for the property,
which gives them the ability to
hold the developer to his
promises.