Last week was light on schedules in city halls around Flathead County, so we took the week off. We’re back this week with action in Whitefish and Columbia Falls.
This is your Monday primer about land use in Flathead County. Read below to learn more about what happened over the last couple of weeks and what’s happening this week.
In the news
- After the nearly three-hour meeting, commissioners unanimously approved: the annexation of the 78-acre parcel located at 1800 Aluminum, rezoning the land from the current county zoning of Light Industrial to the city’s Two-Family Residential; the planned unit development for Teakettle Heights, which includes a deviation for apartment buildings to be 45-feet in height while all other buildings will be less than 35 feet; and the subdivision application for the project’s 185 lots.
- The approval was also accompanied by 26 conditions, which included the 45-foot building height deviation for multi-family, a requirement for the developer to offer an “alternative financing package to qualified home buyers of a 2% down and a mortgage loan rate of 1%+ or less of the market rate,” and a requirement for the developer to be responsible for necessary upgrades to the sewer system if there isn’t adequate capacity.
- Columbia Falls Planning Commission Approves 421-Unit Residential Development on Former Aluminum Company Land
- Whitefish to Host Open House for Potential Railway Crossing Improvements
- Flathead County Cities Retain Modest Population Growth Amid Overall Slowdown
- From Runway Rehab to a New Jail, Local Infrastructure Projects Take Off Across the Flathead Valley
- Whitefish Planning Commission Approves New Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
- Columbia Falls Finalizing Future Land Use Map Ahead of Public Hearing
- Rental Assistance – Bridge not Band-Aid
- Protecting Flathead Lake Requires Getting This Decision Right
- Kalispell City Council to vote on federal grant for pedestrian safety upgrades
- First Interstate, Federal Home Loan Bank awards Samaritan House $8,600
- Kalispell Planning Commission backs changes to city’s public participation plan
- Flathead County Planning Board reviews 13-lot subdivision, workshop for new Lakeside zoning district
- Appeal of West Glacier work camp denied by Flathead County Board of Adjustment
- Challenge against Lakeside marina construction paused over lawsuit
- Community Wildfire Protection Plan public meeting
- Habitat for Humanity seeking bids to landscape Railroad Field Park
- What we can learn from Big Sky
Columbia Falls
Upcoming
Columbia Falls City Council meeting, Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7 p.m., Columbia Falls City Hall (130 6th St W, Columbia Falls).
An introduction to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations ongoing review. The updated regulations reflect significant state-mandated changes required under the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA), as well as refinements informed by over seven months of public engagement and community input.
The documents are currently available on the website for public comment and can be found at www.cityofcolumbiafalls.org/1244/Montana-Land-Use-Planning-Act
Last Two Weeks:
The Columbia Falls City Council provided its final thoughts about the city’s Future Land Use Map and Recommendations at its regular meeting on Monday, May 4.
View the meeting video by clicking here.
The Columbia Falls Planning Commission held a special meeting on Wednesday, May 6 to review the annexation, zoning, and subdivision application for Teakettle Heights.
The Planning Commission recommended approval of all three items to the city council. View the meeting video by clicking here.
The public hearing in front of city council will be on June 1, 2026.
The Columbia Falls Planning Commission held a special meeting on Thursday, May 17 to review draft subdivision and zoning regulations to comply with MLUPA.
The Columbia Falls City Council will address these during its meeting tonight.
COLUMBIA FALLS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WEBSITE
Kalispell
Upcoming
Kalispell City Council meeting, Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7 p.m., Kalispell City Hall (201 1st Ave E, Kalispell).
Resolution 6326 – Support for Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Application
This item considers supporting a grant submission for $25 million dollars for safety treatments downtown.
Last Week
The Kalispell City Council adopted the city’s new subdivision and zoning regulations to comply with MLUPA and to align with the city’s new Land Use Plan at its regular meeting on Monday, May 4.
The new regulations passed on second reading on the consent agenda without changes from the prior meeting. You can view the meeting video by clicking here.
Whitefish
Upcoming
Whitefish City Council meeting, Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7:10 p.m., Whitefish City Hall (418 E Second St, Whitefish).
The Whitefish City Council will have a first reading of new zoning and subdivision regulations to align with the city’s new Land Use Plan and state laws.
Last Week
The Whitefish Planning Commission continued to review draft subdivision and zoning regulation updates to match the adopted Land Use Plan and to comply with MLUPA.
The Commission forwarded this to the city council, which will review tonight.