City OK's high density apartment complex, with conditions

The Columbia Falls City Council Monday night approved a 207-unit apartment complex at the end of Bill’s Lane, though the project comes with a host of conditions.

Fully built out, the Highline Apartment complex could conceivably house more than 550 residents, or about 10 percent of the city’s current population.

Several members of the public raised concerns about the project. Perhaps most notably was former city manager Bill Shaw. Shaw noted he no longer lives in the city or even its planning jurisdiction, but he was worried that the project only had one road in and out of the development.

“That was never acceptable up until now,” Shaw said.

Other residents raised the same concerns.

“I think that’s too many people in one place,” noted resident Elaine Countryman.

She said traffic likely wouldn’t go out directly to U.S. Highway 2, but would likely go back up the hill to Nucleus Avenue. During the winter, the road, in effect, is a one-way street because it’s steep, she claimed.

But fire chief Rick Hagen noted that Montana fire code doesn’t require an ingress and egress road with such short access. The access would have to be 600 feet or longer to require a second road.

Bill’s Lane is only about 300 feet long off Third Avenue East.

The development also isn’t in the wildland-urban interface wildfire zone, noted city planner Eric Mulcahy. The potential for a wildfire in that area is low. If anything, the land is wet and a bit swampy.

Greenway Capital, the Missouri-based developer building the project, would be responsible for street maintenance and snow removal of the development itself.

Council addressed the access issue. As a condition on the project, before phase three is built out — the last two buildings — the developer is required to re-study traffic flows. At that time, council will determine whether a second egress is required.

The project comes with a host of other conditions, including fencing along the north and west boundaries. All told, the project has 22 conditions.

Dusty Emmert, one of the partners of Greenway Capital, said the idea of the project is to leave as much open space on the nearly 14-acre parcel as possible. Trees to the east will be retained and the apartments will be on a circular drive with a common area in the middle with amenities like ball courts.

The buildings will have fire sprinklers throughout and will be slightly higher than what city code typically allows – 43 feet. City code allows for 35 feet, but that would mean the buildings would have flat roofs.

The city allowed a variance for the additional height. Council had to amend the city’s growth policy and then change the zoning to allow for the apartments. It also allowed a planned unit overlay for the development.

Council also added a condition to the overlay that prohibits short-term rentals of the units.

The project will be a blend of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments. Developers earlier this year said studio apartments would rent for $650, one bedrooms for $795 and two bedrooms for $995.

Studio apartments aren’t very big, Emmert noted, at 400 square feet. A one bedroom is 530 square feet a two bedroom 930 square feet.

The first phase — two apartment buildings — will take about a year to build, Emmert noted. The next phase will come when the first phase has about 90 percent occupancy, he noted.