Wirtala/Airport PropertySANDS SURVEYING, INC.
2 Village Loop Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
406-755-6481
Fax 406-755-6488
September 11, 2009
Mrs. LaDonna Monk
125 Ashley Hills Drive
Kalispell, MT 59901
RE: Airport Property
Dear Mrs. Monk;
I have called Sean Conrad at the City of Kalispell Planning Office and visited with him
regarding the above -noted property, as well as Fred Lestiko from the airport. It was
Fred's advice that if you needed to contest the value of the property to the tax assessor,
that your attorney, Mark Hash, has a copy of the appraisal of the property that was done
last September. This noted the value as $600,000. The appraisal will expire as of
September 18`h, and both Fred and Sean commented that the value of the property will
drop considerably if a new appraisal were to be done.
From my research on the computer, the property is in the County and is currently zoned
I-1, which is an industrial zone. FAA has imposed an Airport Overlay zoning, which
significantly impacts the height and location of any new buildings that would be
constructed. Given the size and proximity of the properties to both the existing and
proposed re -alignment of the runway, there might not be any room available to construct
any building of value. Apparently, this FAA zone was put into place AFTER the
buildings on adjoining properties were constructed, so they have been somewhat
grandfathered.
It was Mr. Lestiko's opinion that the judge would be making a ruling in the next few
weeks regarding the KGEZ finances, and that the towers would be coming down in the
immediate future. He hoped to have the project completed within a year's timeframe,
barring any further complications.
The strongest argument that you can make at the Assessor's office will be the
government appraisal valuing the property at $600,00 rather than the $2 million you are
currently being assessed. If you would like to wait until the end of the month, that
assessment will have to be re -done and the property will most likely de -value further, but
of course, that will impact the finances available to Mr. Lestiko when negotiating the
purchase price of the property at a later date.
Tom had thought that you were interested in subdividing off a piece of the parcel, and as
it is in the County, this would be a long and expensive process, which may never realize
any financial gain. I can further discuss this with you if you'd like, but one of the
comments that I got from Sean at the City was that should this go through the subdivision
process at the County level, the City would be asked for input, and they would be
obligated to note that no or very limited buildings would be permitted, which would then
impact the County's decision on whether to approve the subdivision or deny it.
I hope that this helps your family clarify some of the issues regarding your property.
Please call should you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Erica Wirtala, AICP Planner
Sands Surveying, Inc.