Columbia Falls council approves preliminary plat for five‑lot light‑industrial park with sidewalk, curb variances

Columbia Falls City Council approved conditional preliminary plat approval for the TMC/TNC Business Park, a five‑lot light‑industrial subdivision on a 10.47‑acre site at 330 Meadow Lake Boulevard, adopting staff findings and granting variances from internal sidewalks and standard curb‑and‑gutter requirements.

The vote approved staff report CPP‑25‑02 and Resolution 19‑45, which conditionally permits subdivision and requires the developer to follow a geotechnical mitigation plan, construct a pedestrian path on the Meadow Lake frontage, and coordinate any wetland disturbance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Council action follows a staff presentation describing the property as former heavy‑equipment storage undergoing cleanup and noting geotechnical concerns: uncontrolled fill with organic matter, recommendations for mass excavation and replacement of structural fill on several lots, groundwater encountered at 17 to 27 feet below grade in test borings, and the identification of a potential wetland on Lot 5. The staff report said the site is within municipal water and sewer service and that the subdivision is reviewed under Chapter 17.16 (design standards for annexed areas) as a minor subdivision.

Councilors and staff debated design details. Councilors asked why the internal road would be only 24 feet wide and whether that width, combined with the council’s approval of a variance from internal sidewalks, would create conflicts between pedestrians and delivery trucks. Staff responded that the subdivision’s internal road meets the code for light‑industrial internal roads and that the roadway is intended to remain private, with maintenance, snow removal and future repairs managed by an owners’ association rather than the city. "The road conditions meet the code for light industrial the internal roads. There's no variance to allow them to have a smaller road, so this meets the code," staff said.

The consulting engineers included a projected average daily trip count of about 153 for the subdivision; staff did not require a traffic impact study because of that modest traffic estimate. Staff recommended, and the council imposed, a condition requiring an asphalt or concrete pedestrian path along the Meadow Lake frontage because of proximity to Highway 2. The staff report also recommended retaining Alpine Geotechnical to evaluate subgrade for roads and review final plans; condition 4 of the staff report requires conformance with Alpine Geotechnical's recommendations.

The council record shows the findings and the preliminary plat approval passed with a majority vote. The record also reflects questions from council members about the report wording (for example, whether the preliminary plat language "consists of but not limited to five lots" binds the developer to five lots); staff clarified that a recorded subdivision specifies the number of lots and that the application is defined by the number filed.

Background: the city growth policy designates the area as multifamily residential, but the property has long been zoned C I‑1 (light industrial), and staff noted that growth policies are not regulatory and cannot change existing zoning. The applicant must contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers if any wetland disturbance occurs.

No building permits, excavation or final infrastructure work may proceed until the developer complies with the geotechnical conditions and final plan reviews required by the staff conditions and the city’s subdivision regulations.