06. Presentation - Planned Unit Development Overlay and Preliminary Plat - Glacier Town CenterCity of Kalispell
Planning Department
17 - 2nd Street East, Suite 211, Kalispell, Montana 59901
Telephone: (406) 751-1850
Fax: (406) 751-185 8
Webs ite: kalispellplanning. co rn
REPORT TO. Kalispell Mayor and City Council
FROM: Sean Conrad, Senior Planner
James H. Patrick, City Manager
SUBJECT. Wolford Development Montana, LLC Planned Unit Development
and Preliminary Plat approval for the first phase of the Glacier
Town Center project
MEETING DATE: January 22, 2008
BACKGROUND: On January 7th 2008, the city council held a public hearing to
consider a request for annexation of a 485.5 acre project site into the city of Kalispell
with four zoning districts placed on the project site; B-3, B-1, R-4, and R-3.
Accompanying the annexation and initial zoning application is a request for two
planned unit development (PUD) overlay zoning districts. A commercial PUD with the
underlying zoning district of B-3 and a mixed residential/ commercial PUD with the
underlying zoning districts of B-1, R-4, and R-3.
The conceptual site plan with the PUD, known as Glacier Town Center, provides the
general land uses throughout the 485.5 acre project site. These include 282 single
family residences, 150 townhomes and 200 apartment or condominium units. The
commercial aspect of the project includes a lifestyle center and a separate poorer
center along with a number of commercial and office out -parcels totaling
approximately 1.8 million square feet of commercial and office space.
In addition to the PUD request the developer requested preliminary plat approval for
the first phase of a five phase project. This first phase is located on the west side of
the 485.5 acre project site along Highway 93 North. The first phase consists of 191.5
acres divided into 37 lots, 36 of which are commercial lots and one lot for a future
community center. The lot sizes range from 1 acre to 39 acres. The first phase also
includes 5.6 acres of open space along Highway 93 North and a 17.6 acre park.
The 485.5 acre project site is located above West Reserve Drive and spans the distance
between Highway 93 North and Whitefish Stage Road. The project site is generally
bounded by Glacier Memorial Gardens Cemetery, the Stillwater River, West Reserve
Drive and Semitool along its southern boundary, Highway 93 Worth along it's western
boundary, whitefish Stage Road along it's eastern boundary and a combination of
state owned land and lands within the city and county along it's northern boundary.
The 485.5 acre project site includes assessor's tracts 2C, 2D, 6A, 17 3, 41 1132 1C, 1CA,
1E, 1F, 1G, 2C, 2CA and is located within portions of Sections 19 and 30 of Township
29 North, Range 21 `]Nest, Principle Meridian, Flathead County, Montana.
During the public hearing the council heard testimony from persons and groups both
for and against the proposed project. one of these groups, North 93 Neighbors, had
concerns with the access to the community center lot, lot 37 in phase 1. Since the
main access roads adjacent to lot 37 will not be fully completed until phase 3, which is
not intended to be completed until 2014, North 93 Neighbors contends that due to the
limited access to the lot, it will make it more difficult to both attract a viable sponsor
for a community center and provide for future access during and after construction of
the community center. They requested the east/west road, Lake McDonald Road, and
the north / south road on the vest side of the lot be fully completed in phase 1 to
provide better access to the site. These concerns were also relayed to the planning
board which added a condition to the PUD, recommended condition number 27,
requiring the developer to extend Lake McDonald Road to the eastern property
boundary of lot 37.
Anther issue brought up during the hearing was the multiple ownerships under the
proposed PUD. The city zoning ordinance currently requires the land proposed for a
PUD overlay zoning district be under a single ownership. However the focus issue
raised during the public hearing was the access points onto Highway 93 serving the
first phase of the project. It was pointed out that two of the three access points will
most likely need to include traffic signals as detailed in a memo from the Montana
Department of 'Transportation. This issue was followed by comments regarding the
need to limit or prohibit stop lights north of west Reserve Drive. The concern was that
the future Highway 93 bypass would place northbound traffic at an intersection where
vehicular traffic would then need to travel through two more signalized intersections
before obtaining higher speeds and continuing north on Highway 93.
Also at the public hearing CTA provided the city council with a letter detailing issues
the developer still has with six of the recommended conditions of approval. The
developer is requesting the council consider conditionally approving the project and
remove or modify the six conditions as suggested by the developer. The city council
should note that each of the conditions the developer has a concern with were
discussed individually at the December 11thplanning board meeting. The planning
board amended several conditions and forwarded to the city council conditions that
the planning board felt would comply with the subdivision regulations, zoning
ordinance, and be in keeping with the goals and policies found in the Kalispell Growth
Policy.
RECOMMENDATION: A motion to approve the Planned Unit Development ordinance
with 27 conditions as recommended by the planning board and approve the resolution
for the preliminary plat with the 23 conditions as recommended by the planning board
would be in order.
FISCAL EFFECTS: Positive impacts once fully developed.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Council.
Respectfully submitted,
Sean Conrad
Senior Planner
Report compiled January 14, 2008
c: Theresa White, Kalispell City Clerk
a
James H. Patric
City Manager
Wolford Development Montana, LLC
1200 Mountain Creek Road, Suite 102
Chattanooga, TN 34715
CTA Architects Engineers
1143 Stoneridge Drive
Bozeman, MT 59718