10-22-09 Site Review MinutesSITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Lower Level Main Conference Room
201 First Avenue East
ATTENDING:
Paul Burnham, Assistant City Engineer Chad Fincher, Parks Superintendent
Dan Diehl, Acting Fire Chief Roger Krauss, Police Dept.
Sean Conrad, Senior Planner P.J. Sorensen, Chairman
Michelle Anderson, Recording Secretary
Guests: James Freyholtz, MDT
Hear the Public: No one wished to speak.
Performance Bond Reminders: Chad Fincher is working on a bond for Mountain Mudd and noted
he would like to discuss it with Public Works.
OLD BUSINESS: Heil — 749 W Center — Sorensen mentioned that he and Dwain Elkins met with
the developer and they are aware of the requirements. Sorensen added the target date for approval is
November 1gt so they can order their metal building and therefore save 15% on their costs. The
project will stay on the agenda but Sorensen said they may get to the point where they will be
provided a limited approval for a certain building size, but would need everything else addressed prior
to a permit. Burnham said Public Works will require curb, gutter & sidewalk and Sorensen said the
developer is aware of that.
ASI (Van Ee Apartments) — Grandview Drive — The Fire Department doesn't have any issues.
Fincher said he sent an email to staff regarding the change from river rock to a fractured rock and
there is an area along the path that will be grass instead of rock. With the revisions Parks approves
the project. Public Works is still conducting their review. Conrad is waiting for some numbers from
ASI so he can complete the PILT agreement. Sorensen said he received the lighting plan which is ok.
NEW BUSINESS: None.
PLANNING OFFICE ITEMS: Trumbull Creek Crossing (annexation/PUD/preliminary plat)
— Conrad mentioned to Roger Krauss of the Police Department that the developer is looking at fully
annexing 160 acres on the east side of Highway 2 between East Reserve and Rose Crossing and
asked for their thoughts on the Police Department's ability to cover newly annexed properties,
especially when they are this far from the city. Krauss said although they do not oppose the
annexation their department is down several officers and their ability to cover the current city limits is
stretched pretty thin. Burnham suggested that information will be critical for the council's decision
and Conrad agreed. Diehl said this property is relatively close to Station 62 compared to the distance
to Old School Station or Silverbrook.
OTHER REPORTS: Handicap Parking Fine Stickers — Krauss noted the Handicap Parking
Signs on public and privately owned properties need to have a sticker that provides the MCA Code,
which most of them do not. Krauss added when a ticket is contested and the sticker was not on the
sign the city judge has dismissed the case. Therefore the city is attempting to add the stickers to all of
the handicap signs and Krauss suggested that when developers are responsible for installing signs, as
part of the building code review, they should be made aware of this requirement. Building Inspectors
review the signs as part of the certificate of occupancy. The PD should provide examples to Building
of the stickers that have to be affixed to the front of the signs.
Ashley Heights Final Plat — Conrad reported this is a residential subdivision on the south side of
Sunnyside Drive located just east of where the bypass will be built. There are 26 lots in the
subdivision and they have submitted a Subdivision Improvement Agreement. Copies of the SIA were
given to Public Works and Parks.
Blue & White Motel — Conrad said the owners of the Blue & White Motel are completing a
boundary line adjustment between some of the existing buildings to create a separate lot for the motel
portion that is south of Finnegan's. Conrad told the surveyor that the new boundary line has to meet
the city's minimum rear -yard setback in B-2 zones which is 10 feet but asked if 10 feet would be
sufficient for the Fire access and Building Codes. Sorensen asked if they were still planning to
convert that property to an office and Conrad said they didn't say. Sorensen noted that is when more
issues would come into play for the Fire and Building Codes and Site Review. Diehl said he would
like to see a larger map but he felt 10 feet would not be enough for the emergency vehicle access.
Empire Estates - Conrad said he was contacted by the President of the Empire Estates Homeowners
Association and when Empire Estates, Phase 1 was completed along Stillwater Road they dedicated
portions of the road to the city and provided a 20 foot wide landscape buffer between the road R/W
and the lots within phase 1. Most of the buffer was dedicated to the city and is maintained by the
HOA except for a strip from Buffet Drive north to Parkview Drive. The HOA would like to dedicate
the buffer to the city because they don't want to pay taxes on it anymore however, the HOA would
continue to maintain it. Parks did not have a problem with the transfer as long as the HOA would
continue to maintain the strip. Burnham noted there is a stormwater infiltration trench which is failing
in this location so the city is connecting this trench to the stormwater improvements the city is putting
in Stillwater Road which may have prompted this request. Burnham said Public Works would like to
take a closer look at it before it is approved.
Willow Creek — Conrad met with Hubert Turner who plans to submit a revised plan of Willow Creek
in the next month or so. Conrad reviewed some of the proposed changes which included changing the
access points and removing the main through -road from Foys Lake Road to Highway 2 which was
one of the conditions of their approval of phase 1. According to Turner MDT has told contractors
that they want cars to be able to drive on the bypass by this time next year and Turner was asking if
they would still have to provide the through -road connection in their first phase. Conrad told him
MDT and Public Works would have to review that request and an updated Traffic Impact Study
would have to be submitted. Public Works agreed that the study would be required and added there is
some merit of having the bypass that would take all of the pressure off of Meridian Road. Burnham
said the connector road should still be required and James Freyholtz of MDT added it is part of the
Kalispell Area Transportation Plan. Conrad agreed that it would still need to be provided but not
necessarily in phase 1. Diehl said he met with the Turners and the Fire Department would not require
that connection as part of phase 1 because that phase would be 80 lots, however based on the Fire
Code the connector road would be required for phase 2.
Sorensen asked if the drawing was an accurate interpretation of the location of the bike paths because
it doesn't connect to any paths outside the project. Conrad said that could be added to the conditions
along with the condition that the bike path along Park Area #5 be moved to the R/W so it can be tied
into the MDT bike path. MDT and Public Works will be meeting with the Turners the first week in
November and these items will be discussed.
James Freyholtz of MDT said in order for MDT to determine when the developer would need to
complete the improvements to East Reserve Drive he would need a phasing plan for Trumbull Creek
Crossing. Conrad said the plan that MDT received has a tentative phasing schedule. Conrad added if
he could get this information by next week to include in the staff report he would appreciate it.
Freyholtz said if the route to the north is changed it will affect when the improvements to East
Reserve would be required and could require more analysis. Conrad said the city is expecting a
proposal for the route to the north by Friday and it could possibly be taken just to Rose Crossing, out
to Highway 2 East or there is a subdivision to the east of this property called Granite View and they
could possibly work with those homeowners to create a loop road that would satisfy the city's
regulations. Then the road to Rose Crossing would not have to be completed until the P or 4rh phase.
Conrad added when he receives this information he will send it to MDT. Burnham added he inspected
Granite View Drive and the road wasn't built to carry that amount of traffic. A condition would have
to added, Burnham continued, that Granite View Drive be brought up to city standards, not curb,
gutter and sidewalk but the road section, if that is the route that is eventually agreed upon. Krauss
asked for a copy of the map for Trumbull Creek Crossing which Conrad said he would provide.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:33 a.m.