Six organizations joined forces this year in the hopes of transforming downtown Kalispell into a walkable, vibrant community hub.  

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Lorraine Clarno said the idea to launch the Downtown Forward Coalition emerged after efforts to spruce up downtown failed to gain traction with the city. She hopes the unified front will be more effective in pushing the city to address issues facing the neighborhood.   

While the idea for such a group had been discussed for years, the need became clear after Council in June opted against pursuing grant funding to overhaul Main Street despite adopting the Main Street Safety Action Plan the year prior, Clarno said.  

The plan prioritized making an array of traffic safety upgrades to Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West. But plans to slim down Main Street to one lane in either direction — separated by a left-turn lane — sparked a heated debate among residents and business owners. The chamber was among the project’s supporters.  

“What came out of that was a recognition on all six organizations that we aren’t as well connected as we think we are,” Clarno said.  

The coalition — made up of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement District, Tourism Improvement District, Downtown Association, Flathead Builders Association and the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors — has since mapped out a blueprint to achieve a lasting, vibrant downtown.  

“We’re going to be speaking in one voice, which is pretty unique and amazing,” Clarno said. 

Together, the group represents around 3,000 members, she said.   

Many members of the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors work along Main Street and conduct business with properties downtown, so it was important they were part of the conversation, said Erica Wirtala, the group’s public affairs director.  

“Realtors have just as much at stake,” she said.  

The coalition’s goals include partnering with the city and county to replace aging water and sewer lines, collaborating on a sidewalk and streetscape improvement plan, promoting mixed-use development, launching a targeted business recruitment campaign and embedding public art into redevelopment projects.  

Representatives visited 99 businesses over the course of three hours in November to introduce the coalition and inquire about issues facing downtown.  

“What we heard on our business walk is we are on the same page, but awareness, information, education and participation are tough for small business owners because they are so busy,” Clarno said. 

While past studies determined that Main Street has adequate parking, people still perceive the lack of it as the No. 1 issue facing downtown, according to Wirtala.  

The coalition at a Dec. 8 meeting considered building an app to help motorists find spots or increase the two-hour limit for parking spaces, she said.  

Failing infrastructure along Main Street has also hampered businesses, but the Montana Department of Transportation ruled that tearing up the thoroughfare to upgrade water and sewer lines isn’t an option until the U.S. 93 Bypass is completed, Wirtala said. 

The coalition also plans to meet with state legislators over commercial property tax rates that have increased the burden on local businesses, according to Clarno.  

“We’re trying to learn and understand how it got where it did,” she said. 

WITH THE coming turnover on City Council in January, Clarno and Wirtala hope to see more collaboration between downtown leaders and City Hall.   

“It’s a new day for Kalispell in many ways, and I think all of us are very optimistic that the city, the county and all of us stakeholders can really now work together to do what we want to do to keep Kalispell vibrant and happening,” Clarno said. 

Wirtala was optimistic to see an attitude shift once Mayor-elect Ryan Hutner and the incoming councilors take office. She described the current Council dynamic as hostile and immature.  

“You are supposed to be leaders, but you are acting like a bunch of third graders,” she said.   

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].