Council approves townhomes on Fourth Avenue, supports paving N. Fork Road

The Columbia Falls City Council last week approved an amended planned unit development at 812 4th Ave West which will become all housing units, rather than a mix of housing and commercial space.

Developer Mick Ruis sought the amendment to replace the three lower commercial units which had been previously approved with three residential units for a total of 12 townhomes. The three story buildings will meet the setback and height standards of the CB-2 (General Business) zoning district as well as providing 24 off-street parking spaces.

The lot is just to the north of Whitefish Credit Union.

Councilman Darin Fisher noted that as approved by the planning board, the project would not allow for short-term rentals. Planner Eric Mulcahy said that was an oversight and would be fixed in the final conditions for the project.

One person, Shirley Folkwein of the Upper Flathead Neighborhood Association, spoke in favor of the project.

“Multi-family housing should happen west of the river,” she said. “We do support this development.”

The plan calls for a seven-plex of three bedroom homes with a two-car garage on the first floor, living room and kitchen on the second floor and three bedrooms on the third floor. The five-plex has a similar layout, with two bedrooms on the third floor, but a one-car garage.

The plan, according to the developer, is to retain the mature trees on the lot.

In other news:

Council approved a contract with Sandry Constuction to replace a water main at 5th Ave EN Water Main in the amount of $253,350. The work is paid for through a federal covid-19 relief grant. Under the contract, Sandry will replace an existing 2-inch galvanized steel water main with a new 8-inch PVC water main along 5th Ave EN from the intersection of Railroad Street East to the intersection of C Street EN.

Council wrote a letter of support to Flathead County for a federal grant to pay for an environmental review of the North Fork Road from the end of the pavement north of Glacier Rim to the Camas Road Entrance of Glacier National Park.

“The proposal to pave this portion of Montana Secondary 486 will greatly improve public safety and access to multiple local, state and federal recreational areas including the newly improved Cedar Flats Trails project,” the city said in its letter.

The North Fork Road is already paved to the Cedar Trails project, however.