Apr. 19—Kalispell City Council gave the go-ahead Monday to purchase a tract of vacant railway land with the goal of extending the Parkline Trail.

The vote was unanimous, with councilors expressing eagerness to see the urban renewal project, the first phase of which was unveiled in July, expanded westward. The multi-use trail is part of Kalispell's efforts to revitalize the city's downtown area by transforming the urban rail corridor.

Purchasing the parcel from BNSF Railway was discussed as part of the initial project, but the city decided to complete the first section before moving forward with the acquisition.

The deal would include 14.4 acres along railroad tracks running from Meridian Road to Fenn Way and then south to Foys Lake Road, at an as-is price of $50,000. The city would need to survey and perform an environmental assessment of the property after purchase, according to City Manager Doug Russell.

COUNCIL ALSO VOTED to double planning department fees to roughly cover the costs incurred by the agency in the review process.

The fees had not been updated since at least 2015, according to Planning Director Jarod Nygren.

The resolution also includes a fee increase of 5 percent each fiscal year going forward in an attempt to keep fees caught up to inflation.

Councilor Ryan Hunter proposed an amendment that would give nonprofit affordable housing initiatives a 50 percent discount on planning fees. In testimony at last week's Council work session, Nygren said that the number of such projects that come before the city is small, so any such discount would only have a negligible effect on planning department revenue.

The amendment did not receive any support from Hunter's colleagues on Council.

Finally, Council unanimously approved Mayor Mark Johnson's appointments to various citizen advisory boards and committees for vacancies and terms expiring April 30.

Committees with vacancies under consideration included the Board of Adjustment, Conrad Mansion Board, Architectural Review Committee, Planning Board, Police Commission and others.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.