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3. Kalispell West Growth Policy AmendmentPLANNING FOP, THE FUTURE REPORT TO: Kalispell Mayor and City Council FROM: Tom Jentz, Director 1' Myrt Webb, Interim City Manage Planning Department 201 1" Avenue East Kalispell, MT 59901 Phone: (406) 758-7940 Fax: (406) 758-7739 wwww.kalispell.com/planning SUBJECT: Notice of Intent to adopt, amend or deny a Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment - KGPA-09-1 MEETING DATE: March 30 Council Work Session BACKGROUND: As part of the annual planning board work program, the planning staff has been working with the planning board and property owners in the Kalispell West planning area for over 2 years to update the western portions of the Kalispell Growth Policy 2020. This is a continuation of city efforts to update our growth policy map noting THE Kalispell North amendment in 2006 and the Kalispell South amendment in 2008. The Kalispell City Planning Board met on February 10, 2009 and held a public hearing to consider this amendment to the Kalispell Growth Policy 2020. The attached Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment serves as a significant update to the Kalispell Growth Policy map for areas west of Stillwater River and Road, north of Two Mile Drive, east of Farm to Market Road and south of Church Drive. During the public hearing only one resident spoke, asking for a definition of the northern boundary clarifying that the boundary was Church Drive and not a section line. No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed. Two changes were made to the plan based on comments received from the public at the last community work session. First, the Growth Policy Amendment land use map was amended to show all the known gravel pits within the plan area. This involved adding two more pits to the land use map. Secondly, there was public concern that the future westerly extension of Rose Crossing to Farm to Market Road is shown as a solid line which extends through several people's houses near Farm to Market Road. It was suggested that the Rose Crossing Extension be shown as an arrow between West Valley Drive and Farm to Market Road to indicate a precise alignment has not been determined. The planning board made the modifications and then unanimously moved, by Resolution KPGA-09-1 to recommend to the city council that the attached growth policy map amendment and policies for the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment be adopted. Please note that state law requires the City Council to pass a Resolution of Intent to Adopt, Revise or Reject a Growth Policy Amendment prior to actually taking action on the proposed amendment. In addition, it has been the policy of the city to hold a public hearing on any Growth Policy Amendment. Therefore, in order to take action on the requested growth policy amendment, the City Council will need to approve the Resolution of Intent at the April 6 meeting. This would then set the stage for the public hearing and council action at the April 20 council meeting. The purpose of the council workshop is to answer questions the council may have with either the process followed or with specific details of the plan. c: Theresa White, Kalispell City Clerk Staff report KGPA-09-1 Growth Policy map and policies for the Kalispell West Amendment Minutes from the 2/ 10/09 planning board meeting Planning Board Resolution KPB-09-1 PLANNING Fop, THE FUTURE March 20, 2009 Myrt Webb, Interim City Manager City of Kalispell P.O. Box 1997 Kalispell, MT 59903 Re: Growth Policy Amendment - Kalispell West KGPA-09-1 Dear Myrt: Planning Department 201 1st Avenue East Kalispell, MT 59901 Phone: (406) 758-7940 Fax: (406) 758-7739 www.kalispell.com/planning The Kalispell City Planning Board met on February 10, 2009 and held a public hearing to consider a significant amendment to the Kalispell Growth Policy 2020. The attached Kalispell West Amendment serves as a significant update to the Kalispell Growth Policy map for areas west of Stillwater River and Road, north of Two Mile Drive, east Farm to Market Road and south of Church Drive. Tom Jentz, with the Kalispell Planning Department, presented staff report KGPA-09-1 reviewing the development process undertaken by staff and the planning board during the previous 2 years. Jentz also answered questions from the board specific to the proposed growth policy amendment. During the public hearing only one resident spoke, asking for a definition of the northern boundary clarifying that the boundary was Church Drive and not a section line. No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed. The planning board discussed the proposal at great length. Tom Jentz proposed two additional amendments based on comments received from the public at the last community work session. He said that the growth policy amendment land use map was amended to show all the known gravel pits within the plan area. This involved adding two more pits to the land use map. Secondly, he noted there was public concern that the future westerly extension of Rose Crossing to Farm to Market Road is shown as a solid line which extends through several people's houses near Farm to Market Road. He suggested that the Rose Crossing Extension be shown as an arrow between West Valley Drive and Farm to Market Road to indicate a precise alignment has not been determined. The planning board discussed those issues and made appropriate modifications as necessary. The board then unanimously moved, by Resolution KPGA-09-1 to recommend to the city council that the attached growth policy map amendment and policies for the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment be adopted. Please schedule this matter for public hearing and action at your earliest convenience. Note that a resolution of intent to adopt, amend or deny an amendment to Growth Policy 202 by the council is required prior to any final action on the part of the council. You may contact this board or Tom Jentz at the Kalispell Planning Department if you have any questions regarding this matter. Sincerely, Kalispell City Planning Board Fl-'�"' H , Bryan H. Schutt President Attachments: Staff report KGPA-09-1 Growth Policy map and policies for the Kalispell West Amendment Minutes from the 2/ 10/09 planning board meeting c w/ Att: Theresa White, Kalispell City Clerk KALISPELL WEST GROWTH POLICY AMENDMENT KGPA-09-01 FEBRUARY 3, 2009 A report to the Kalispell City Planning Board and the Kalispell City Council regarding a major effort on the part of the Kalispell planning staff to update the Kalispell Growth Policy Map and add appropriate policies to address growth and development in the west and northwestern portion of the greater Kalispell community. A public hearing on this proposal has been scheduled before the planning board for February 10, 2009. The planning board will forward a recommendation to the city council for a second subsequent public hearing and final action. BACKGROUND: The Kalispell Growth Policy was adopted on February 18, 2003. Page 62 of the Growth Policy states that the Growth Policy should be reviewed a minimum of every 5 years in order to maintain relevance with existing conditions and trends. The planning board has begun a regular program of reviewing major geographic areas of the community on a systematic basis to keep the Growth Policy updated in light of the significant growth that has occurred in the community. This past fall the Planning Board and City Council completed a similar process on the south side of the city. In 2006 another major effort was completed on the north side of Kalispell encompassing the Highway 93, Whitefish Stage and LaSalle corridors. The Board focused on the Kalispell West area in light of the fact that recent city expansion has pushed the city limits of Kalispell out to the western boundary of our current Growth Policy. In addition, the County recently adopted the Riverdale Neighborhood Plan in a portion of this area and there has been continued interest voiced by large property owners in this area who are interested in extending utilities and annexing into the city at some point in the future. Public Process: The Planning Board has been studying this area since early 2007. The Planning Board has held monthly work sessions discussing the development potentials and options for this general area. Drafts of the Kalispell West Growth Policy Map, attached policies and schedules of workshops and meetings have been on the city web page since the beginning of this project. The planning staff has met individually with every large property owner (owning over 40 acres) during this time. The staff also met with LHC Gravel and Knife River Gravel operations. Finally, staff met three times with the Flathead County Planning Staff to inform them of progress on the planning effort. In anticipation of the planning board public hearing, the board and staff have held the following public meetings and information outreach efforts: March 19, 2007 - Planning office sent out a newsletter to 95 property owners, Flathead County Planning Office, West Valley School Board, West Valley Volunteer Fire Department, placed an ad in newspaper and circulated a PSA describing the planning process and inviting people to the March 27th West Valley Land Use Committee meeting. March 27, 2007 - Planning board met with the West Valley Land Use Committee including representatives from the West Valley Rural Fire Department and West Valley School District. 1 May 12, 2008 - Planning Staff met with the West Valley School Board to talk about impacts of the planning effort and growth issues in the West Valley area. October 28, 2008 - Planning Staff and board members met with the West Valley and Riverdale Neighborhood Planning Committees for a work session on the plan. November 13, 2008 - Planning office sent out a newsletter to 95 property owners, West Valley School Board and West Valley Rural Fire Department, and did a PSA describing the planning process and inviting people to the November 20th Open House at the Stillwater Grange Hall on West Reserve Drive. November 20, 2008 Open House at Stillwater Grange Hall - The open house ran from 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. with 40 - 50 people in attendance including representatives from the West Valley and Riverdale Land Use Committees, West Valley School Board and West Valley Volunteer Fire Department. January 28, 2009 - Planning office sent out a newsletter to 95 property owners, West Valley School Board, West Valley and Riverdale Land Use Committees, and Flathead County Planning Office. A legal notice was placed in the Daily Inter Lake informing public of the February 10, 2009 public hearing. To date, comments have been overwhelmingly in support of the city efforts to plan on their fringes. At the most recent November 20th open house, representatives of the West Valley Rural Fire Department did comment that the city was biting off more than they could handle as they were not adequately addressing their own needs at this time. No specific action was taken by the planning board relative to this comment. Secondly, a property owner asked for clarification concerning the buffering around gravel pits and how they would be implemented, particularly for a private property owner abutting a gravel pit who wanted to develop a residential project. The staff and planning board worked with that property owner to modify and clarify those specific policies that related to the buffering (see policy #8 of Exhibit B to this staff report). Growth Policy Amendment Boundary The Kalispell West Neighborhood is described as an area generally whose south boundary is Two Mile Drive extended westerly to West Valley Drive, then north on West Valley Drive 1/2 mile to Three Mile Drive, then west 1/4 mile on Three Mile Drive, then north one mile to Farm to Market Road. At this point the boundary follows westerly and northerly along Farm to Market Road to Church Drive, then following Church Drive easterly over to the Stillwater River, then extending south along the Stillwater River to US 93, then south to West Reserve Drive, then west on West Reserve Drive to Stillwater Road, then on a line along Stillwater Road south to Two Mile Road. The site is primarily in the West Valley School District and contains about 16 square miles. F Proposed Growth Policy Amendment: The Growth Policy amendment is intended to give broad policy direction to growth in the Kalispell West neighborhood should property owners wish to annex to the city. The policy anticipates the extension of urban services including sewer and water into this area over time and is designed to give guidance to this associated growth. Draft policies in the amendment area propose a three tiered system of long range planning on the west side of Kalispell. The Growth Policy map is being proposed to extend an additional 1/2 mile to the west to include those lands within one mile of the current western city limits to anticipate and accommodate growth for the next 15-20 years should property owners in this area request annexation to the city. The second tier or belt of land around the west side of Kalispell includes land beyond this immediate (15-20 year) development window and labels this area as an area for future growth (20 - 40 years). The third tier includes those lands furthest out (1/4 to 1/2 of a mile east of Farm to Market Road). These lands are specifically indicated as beyond the development plans or needs of the city but are included in the growth policy amendment area boundary for the purpose of gathering data such as development trends, land use changes, traffic trends and volumes, etc., to use as a baseline to determine the rate and type of development in and adjacent to the City of Kalispell. The attached Exhibit A - Kalispell West Planning 8v Growth Policy Amendment Area Draft Future Land Use Map - visually portrays the policies that have been developed by the planning board for this area. The Growth Policy amendment envisions primarily residential land uses extended westward using neighborhood business centers at key intersections on the west side of Kalispell. The plan also incorporates park and open space recommendations of the recently adopted Kalispell Parks Master Plan, and the transportation classification system as provided for in the updated Kalispell Transportation plan. In addition to the map, Exhibit B - Suggested Policies, Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment dated 2-10-09 has been provided which serves to articulate specific polices developed by the planning board for the Kalispell West area Growth Policy Update Amendment Criteria The Kalispell Growth Policy under chapter 13 - Implementation creates 6 criteria that should be addressed when updating the Growth Policy. A review of each of those criteria is included below: a. Whenever there is a major change in the socio-economic conditions of the community such as a large increase or decrease in population, a new industry entering or exiting the market; consideration should be given to updating the Growth Policy. Response: The City of Kalispell adopted the current Growth Policy approximately 6 years ago. The Growth Policy was under development since 1997 leading to a 2003 adoption. During the decade of the 1990's, which was the primary data point for projecting development trends and projections, the city grew at a rate of 19.4% or an annual average rate of 1.8%. between 2000 and K, 2007 the City of Kalispell has grown at an annual rate of 5.5% per year. By the end of this decade, the city will have experienced a 10 year growth rate of 50%. Page 10A of the Kalispell Resource Document indicated that Kalispell would grow approximately 14% during this current decade. Our actual growth rate now is 3 - 4 times what the plan was predicated on during the 1990's. The city has already expanded out to the plan boundaries in several areas. These factors give credence to the need to review the city's Growth Policy. b. The planning board should schedule a formal work session in the fall of each year to conduct a review of the Growth Policy and evaluate it for relevancy. The planning board should prepare a report to the city council as to whether or not it should be amended with consideration being given to changes in the legal framework, factual errors or contradictions, significant changes in the community or new and relevant information that would affect specific policies and goals. The planning board has been working on this Growth Policy amendment for 2 years. The city council has directed the planning board to review the boundaries of the growth policy around the entire city in light of the past growth trends. To date, growth policy amendments have been approved by the city council for the north and south ends of the city. This particular amendment, Kalispell West, was logically the next to undertake. Kalispell West has been part of the council appointed work program for the planning board for the past 2 years. With completion of the Kalispell West neighborhood, the only remaining area that has not been updated at this time is the southwest quadrant (south of Two Mile Drive down to Lone Pine). C. Based on the planning board's review, the council may conclude that an update or amendment to the Growth Policy is warranted. A report from the planning board should include a description of proposed changes and rationale, impacts of changes, necessary revisions to growth policy implementation strategies and resulting revisions to regulations if needed. The planning board has prepared a series of suggested amendments both to the Growth Policy Map and to the policy document as part of the Kalispell West planning process. These form the basis of the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment and are attached. d. Amendments should include a public hearing before the planning board with the level of public involvement depending on the scope of the proposed changes or amendments. The introduction to this staff report lays out the public involvement process. A public hearing is scheduled for February 10, 2009 to take public comment on the completed draft. e. Evaluation criteria should include consistency with the goals and policies of the Growth Policy, state law and other established policies adopted by the city council as well as a demonstration of the public need and support for the S change; the proposed change is the most effective means of meeting the need and there is benefit to the public rather than benefiting one or a few property owners at the expense of others. The Growth Policy update was not predicated by any one property, but instead was a very broad planning process that affected properties within a 16 square mile area of the community. Note that 95 letters were sent to property owners of 10 acres or more 4 times during the public meeting and hearing process. Within the proposed growth policy amendment area, planning staff has been contacted by every large property owner (owning 40 or more acres). Those large property owners closest to the city uniformly indicated that their first wish is to continue farming as long as they can. Each also indicated that there will come a time when farming this close to the city may no longer be viable or possibly their family or financial situation may change and each wanted the option to work with the city in terms of land development. It is in the best interests of the city to begin working in front of these pressures and possibilities through the use of good long range planning. f. Additional plans should be initiated as recommended by the planning board to address specific areas or needs in the community such as a bike and pedestrian plan or redevelopment plan for certain areas. The City of Kalispell, in recognition of the growth that is and has occurred has undertaken a series of planning efforts throughout the community. The city completed a contract jointly funded by MDT to update the 1993 Kalispell Urban Area Transportation Plan. The Kalispell West neighborhood falls within the boundaries of this plan and the Transportation Plan recommendations are incorporated into the growth policy amendment for this area. Secondly, the city completed the update of the greater Kalispell Parks and Recreation Master Plan which includes a pedestrian trails component. The Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment falls within the park plan boundaries and the concepts and recommendations of the plan are incorporated into this amendment as well. Finally, the city completed updates to the 2002 Water, Sewer and Storm Drainage Systems Facility Plan and the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment was prepared in concert with those plans. Recommendation: The Kalispell City Planning Board should take public comment at the public hearing. Based on that comment and additional board discussion, the board should make changes as they feel appropriate. Staff recommends at that point the planning board should, by resolution (sample provided) resolve to recommend the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment to the City Council for final action and adoption. The council will also hold a public hearing on the Growth Policy Amendment prior to taking final action. k, Exhibit B Suggested Policies Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment 2/10/09 General Neighborhood Planning Boundary The Kalispell west neighborhood is described as an area generally whose south boundary is Two Mile Drive extended westerly to West Valley Drive, then north on West Valley drive 1/2 mile to Three Mile drive, then west % mile on 3 Mile Drive, then north one mile to Farm to Market Road. At this point the boundary follows westerly and northerly along Farm to Market Road to Church Drive, then following Church Drive easterly over to the Stillwater River, then extending south along the Stillwater River to US 93, then south to Reserve Drive, then west on West Reserve Drive to Stillwater Road, then on a line along Stillwater Road south to Two Mile Road. The site is primarily in the West Valley School District. Goal: The orderly westward expansion of the City of Kalispell. Policies 1) Provide for a three -tiered system of long range planning around the City of Kalispell. a) Provide for the immediate or short term development plans in the areas adjacent to the city by providing reasonable uses and densities to accommodate growth for the next 15 — 20 years. This would be graphically reflected by a future land use map b) Provide a second tier area around the city which is beyond the immediate (15 — 20 year window) development trends or needs of the city or desire of the city to extend services at this time. This area would be anticipated to see urban development in the 20 — 40 year window. Because this area anticipates development so far in the future, a development area boundary is shown as a faint line on the future land use map but individual land uses and densities are not called out at this time. c) Provide an overall planning boundary around the city which encompasses the initial and secondary area as well as some lands beyond for the purpose of gathering data such as development trends, land use changes, traffic trends and volumes, etc., to use as a baseline to determine the rate and type of development in and adjacent to the City of Kalispell. 2) Provide for traffic corridors (east -west and north- south) to carry traffic through the future neighborhoods using the existing and proposed arterial system. This would include Stillwater Road north from Reserve Drive to Church Drive. 3) Provide for the orderly expansion of future neighborhood and regional parks as residential development expands into the West Valley area. 4) Protect the immediate Stillwater River corridor because of its unique scenic, wildlife and environmentally sensitive characteristics. Note that the Stillwater River has been designated as one of four "impaired streams" in the Flathead by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. a) Development should be set back from the river and particularly the steep slopes adjacent to the river due to unstable soils, deep sloughing and slumping, and the need to provide vegetative separation for treatment for storm water runoff. b) Attention should be given to protecting the unique wildlife habitat and floodplain corridor. c) Appropriate uses would include parks, linear trails and natural areas. 5) Provide for neighborhood convenience shopping centers. a) Neighborhood commercial centers should be sized to serve the immediate neighbors within a one mile radius. b) Discourage any attempt to expand commercial development beyond the immediate neighborhood service level. c) Buffer the neighborhood shopping centers with higher density housing, offices, etc., to transition away from commercial to areas of lower impact such as moderate and low density residential. 6) Provide for the suitable location of new satellite fire stations as the city grows and the boundaries are expanded. 7) Protect the existing gravel industry sites in the West Valley and allow for their future expansion a) Define the existing developed gravel extraction and processing locations in the West Valley area. b) Provide for the future expansion and development of the existing sites. c) Provide buffers around existing developed sites accommodating their future expansion so as to avoid a conflict between incompatible land uses such as gravel extraction and residential development. d) Plan for the re -use of gravel extraction areas once the gravel resource has been depleted. e) Identify future gravel resource areas. 8) Anticipate that when residential development or other low intensity uses are proposed adjacent to an active or proposed gravel site, good design techniques should be incorporated to mitigate the associated impacts. a) The level of mitigation should be based on the actual and anticipated impacts of the particular property. b) Mitigation could include fencing, berming or landscaping to limit noise or views, strategic placement of open space or parkland, location of frontage roads or use of alleys to move development further away from the gravel extraction site, the employment of transitional uses such as well screened boat and recreational vehicle storage or residential mini -storage. EXHIBITA Kalispell West Planning & Growth Policy Amendment Area Draft Future Land Use Map - February 20, 2009 rc LONE COYOTE TRL O OWy Y O w 0 w O O o U F A � w r aDWY 1 Church Dr A a4 NO NAME z WINTERCREST Church Dr .• �VESTVIEWLry ' �y •• O RUFE;1,CMtN Church Dr DWY Y " • ' y Oi ■ � L r J = G ♦ 1 ■ O L / � NNAOR S 1 o f �• c NO NAME • AUTUMN GT � C pin ■ I CIO r WHITEFISH iRL NO NA HAGERMANL Tronstad Rd TR°N5 p SANCTUARY FAR M V/ •• L rc TALL PINE ROG ..• _ w WILD PINE DR • . O ■ u Y Jo�a ■ GR"DE VIS NO NAME NO NAME ■ y . ■ ■ ! DWy 11 o ■ • °� '• ■ � RHODES DRAW ■ • �.... - O I111111111111111111111 ■NOW1 weww n I��a11 1 , . a Ros I I I n 11 1 111 I,": { I l I 1 1 1 11 1 1. 11 11 1 1, 11rr-rossing _ .Y � � NOB HILLIG�P - 2 19 O m 2p0 NO m OGR�. a g� cn 3 F ry � � � W Reserve Dr MCMANNAMVDRAW 5 F DAIRY DR% '' `/+1('•/�A•`\`�� O 3 U 3 ARBOUR DR m - ��..yy I �'--• f l i O. - • t. 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O E '� � z E ♦ ` N\GN� t�- L NG ryE _ • Y _ Q • f u v _ t H Te 'b MORNING VIEW DR - _ ST T!F S r ' City Limits of Kalispell Current Growth Policy & Land Use Legend ~0000 * Possible Future Community Park Current Growth Policy Area Industrial - Commercial Kalispell West Amendment Area Possible Future Neighborhood Park Urban Mixed Use Neighborhood Commercial Kalispell West Future Landuse _ High Density Residential GRAVEL PIT Principal Arterial Road Type Not Determined Urban Residential - HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MinorArterial Road Suburban Residential NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL' ' 1111I I I Future Minor Arterial Public, Parks, and Other Open Space �"'��''` p p SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL r Collector Road School _ Government Facilities, Airport URBAN RESIDENTIAL ------ rQW Existing Fire Station _ Floodway _____ ;Planned Bypass Route ® Gravel Pit Buffer =W Possible Future Fire Station - FEMA DFIRM Floodway _ Wetlands Future West Growth Boundary - 15 Years 100 Year Floodplain