Kapoor seeking zone change on 12 acres east of town
The 12 acre parcel already has a home and other structures on it. But the Wilkinson Trust, which owns the land to the north, said they would not sell to the Florida developer.
The Flathead County Planning Board will soon take up a zone change request for just over 12 acres of land between the Flathead River and Columbia Heights.
Florida developer Rishi Kapoor’s Location Acquisitions is asking for a zone change on a triangular piece of land that borders U.S. Highway 2 from SAG-10 suburban agricultural to R-1 residential. SAG-10 has a minimum lot size of 10 acres and is agricultural zoning.
R-1 zoning allows for up to one home per acre. The land already has one home on it.
Location Acquisitions hasn’t submitted a subdivision proposal — this is just a zone change request.
The land is outside of the city of Columbia Falls planning jurisdiction.
Kapoor initially asked for a zone change request from SAG-10 to R-1 on just under 113 acres of what is the Wilkinson Trust Estate, but the family recently told the Hungry Horse News that the land wasn’t for sale. Kapoor then pulled that request. The Wilkinson land is just to the north.
Kapoor owns the 12.44 acre parcel he’s seeking zone change on outright.
The planning staff report supports the zone change request, though it does note that there has been opposition to it.
The traffic study estimates the development will generate about 110 vehicle trips per day onto Highway 2 and would result in just four additional children attending Columbia Falls Schools.
This zone change is in stark contrast to another request by Kapoor on property just to the west of this land.
Earlier this spring Kapoor asked the city for a zone change of 22 acres so he could build a 180-unit subdivision along U.S. Highway 2. That request, after long and sometimes contentious meetings, failed to pass muster with Columbia Falls City Council on a 5-2 vote.
The planning board meeting is at 6 p.m. June 14 at its Kalispell offices.