Council approves four-plex planned for sloped lot

The Columbia Falls City Council last week approved a planned unit development project that would bring four townhouses to Seventh Street East.

The project, proposed by Erik Eckert of Greenhaven Builders, Inc., would convert three lots, zoned CR-5 two-family residential, to create four townhouse units, overall decreasing the potential units on the site from six to four.

The townhouse units would likely be priced around $300,000 and would amount to roughly 1,440 square feet in a two-story unit that includes a garage.

The property is located on Seventh Street East between First and Second Avenue. Currently the property is undeveloped and located near the bank that separates Mosquito Flats from downtown.

The council voted unanimously to approve the request.

City planner Eric Mulcahy said the change will develop heavily vegetated lots along the sloping road and will bring the properties in line with the surrounding single-family housing in the neighborhood.

“These three lots are undeveloped, heavily vegetated, on a steep bank. It almost looks like a jungle in there. It’s surrounded by primarily single family, but as you move up the slope you get more into commercial and more density into the residential, which is what our growth policy recommends,” he said.

Each proposed unit that would go on the site would have two parking spaces and guest parking off street.

The developer is providing cash in lieu of a sidewalk to help fund a city sidewalk project in the neighborhood as well.

“We didn’t want to create something that might not be safe or might not be fully considered with the drainage and the sensitive nature of this particular site,” Mulcahy said.

During the meeting Eckert noted his desire to continue working with neighbors of the development.

“I met with I think six neighbors that had questions and concerns, I tried to address all of them,” Eckert said. “I specifically had addressed their concern about the creek, the slope, I met with a few of the neighbors and expressed my desire to work with people and augment the neighborhood, not just be a blight being pushed in. I’m willing to work with the neighbors if there’s more questions or opinions on this.”

Joseph Sullivan, a neighbor to the property, spoke against the project during public comment, citing concerns with the wetness of the land in and around those properties and the potential results from construction there.

In a soil profile test done by Core Water Consulting, the area was deemed a non-wetland location after the test showed “no indications of hydric conditions.”

“I do believe that the developer has a plan to deal with stormwater drainage, I’m not too concerned with that, but I am very concerned with the structural integrity of the ground, the wetness, and how water seeps up, and the construction process could potentially disrupt some of that and create more flooding. I and my other neighbors are still concerned,” Sullivan said.