Gilchrist subdivision on Meadow Lake Blvd. before board

The Columbia Falls Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 on a plan to build a 10 lot, 20-unit townhome subdivision on 2.27 acres on a vacant piece of land at 247 Meadow Lake Boulevard.

Toby and Mindy Gilchrist are proposing a plan where each lot will have a two-unit townhome.

The couple is asking for annexation into the city and a zone change from Flathead County R-5 (two family residential) to city CR-5 (two family residential).

Gilchrist previously proposed a 36 unit apartment complex on the parcel in 2022. The Columbia Falls City Council approved that initially, but then Gilchrist asked the council to allow him to turn half the units into short-term rentals.

Council rejected that idea, as the city already had numerous short-term rentals. The apartments were approved with the condition that there be no short-term rentals.

Gilchrist never developed the apartments.

Now he’s proposed the townhome subdivision.

The lot is currently undeveloped, with an industrial lot to the south and residential housing to the north, though the housing to the north is single family homes on larger lots in the woods.

The 2.27 acres is currently heavily wooded.