Whitefish drafts vision for future

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

A new vision statement for Whitefish's growth policy vows to keep growth from running ahead of the community's ability to provide essential services.

The first draft of the vision statement for Whitefish's new growth policy is finished and ready for public perusal, online at www.planitwhitefish.com or at the city planning office.

The growth policy steering committee and Whitefish Planning and Building Department collected public comments at 17 neighborhood meetings earlier this year and used that input to draft a vision statement upon which the growth policy will be built.

"The growth policy must be based on the community's vision, and so the community has to articulate that vision," Whitefish Planning Director Bob Horne said in a press release.

The document begins with the premise that the character of Whitefish, its scale and small-town feel will be preserved as the community grows. Open spaces, wildlife habitat and scenic vistas will be preserved and enhanced, it states, and the downtown Whitefish commercial district will continue to be the social and cultural center of the community.

"But the vision statement doesn't ignore the problems and challenges that Whitefish faces as it grows," Horne said, noting the document stipulates that the community will manage traffic and maintain public safety, and growth will not be allowed to run ahead of the community's ability to provide essential services.

The growth policy steering committee members meets with Horne and senior planner Wendy Compton-Ring, from 4 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday at Mountain West Bank in Whitefish.

Comments about the vision statement may be posted on the Web site or made by calling the planning office at 863-2410.

Whitefish is updating its 1996 master plan to comply with the state's definition of a growth policy, as stated in a 2002 state attorney general's ruling. The Legislature later extended the deadline for adopting growth policies to Oct. 1, but Whitefish and other local governments are still working through the task.

Until a growth policy is adopted, Whitefish is technically prohibited from amending its 1996 master plan and from making major changes to its zoning code and map.