Kalispell council mulls affordable housing issues

Bret Anne Serbin, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
·3 min read

Jan. 20—The issue of affordable housing dominated the conversation at the Kalispell City Council meeting Tuesday evening, but no solutions emerged during the discussion.

Several community members spoke about the FairBridge Inn, Suites and Outlaw Convention Center selling to Fortify Holdings, a move that will displace at least 100 people living in 60 long-term rooms there.

Tonya Horn, Executive Director of the Flathead Warming Center shelter, warned the situation with the FairBridge Inn puts the Flathead at large on the brink of a "community emergency." She predicted the displaced residents of the FairBridge Inn will put a strain on the community's already strapped social services.

Other nonprofit leaders, a community member and a FairBridge Inn guest all reiterated Horn's concerns.

But the council felt "helpless" to intervene in the situation, according to Councilor Sandy Carlson.

City Manager Doug Russell explained there is little the city could legally do to demand the hotel stay open longer or provide housing for the households that will need to vacate the hotel on Feb. 12.

"We're hopeful that the conversations are occurring between the current owner, the incoming owner, and community members and some of our nonprofits," Russell said. "...Hopefully some resolution does emerge."

THE NEED for affordable housing remained top of mind as the council approved three resolutions related to The Charles Hotel, a boutique hotel proposed for the city-owned parking lot at Third Street West and Main Street.

Council member Ryan Hunter spoke at length in favor of incorporating an affordable housing component into the hotel proposal. He made a motion to restructure the financing of a parking structure that's included in the overall hotel development proposal. The motion would have allocated some of the Tax Increment Financing funds from the project for the possibility of an affordable housing element, but the motion failed for lack of a second.

With only Hunter opposed, the council approved a developer's agreement for the hotel, a developer's agreement for the parking structure, and a buy-sell agreement for the Third and Main parking lot.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING was also a factor in the City Council's decision to relax requirements for emergency personnel.

Because of the difficulty of finding housing, the council unanimously opted to do away with a residency requirement that necessitated first responders live within 3 miles of the city. The council was also unanimous in eliminating age requirements for these city workers.

The council unanimously decided to include a ballot initiative to repeal these requirements during the 2022 Kalispell primary elections.

"I want to make sure none of the citizens are alarmed," said Council member Sid Daoud "...They [the requirements] are a little bit archaic. This will also open us up so we have an ability to reach out and have a bigger pool of applicants."

At the end of the meeting, Hunter requested a work session on a proposal to turn the parking lot south of Legends Field into a community park, and Mayor Mark Johnson requested a work session to review the city's growth policy.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.