Whitefish rejects condo project

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

A small condominium project proposed in a northside Whitefish neighborhood was rejected by the City Council on Monday, largely because of neighborhood compatibility issues.

The council unanimously denied a planned-unit development proposal for the nine-unit Chop Wiki project that a Seattle developer wants to build on 0.7 acres at the northeast corner of Skyles Place and Iowa Avenue.

Chop Wiki was scaled back from 13 to nine condominium units - four duplexes and a single home - to comply with the existing two-family residential zoning, but neighbors nevertheless protested, saying it was out of character with the single-home character of the neighborhood.

Traffic and lack of a secondary egress were other issues.

Although the city planning department recommended approval of the project, subject to 14 conditions, the Whitefish Planning Board split over Chop Wiki on a 3-3 vote.

Both the planning board and council raised concerns about using a planned-unit development as a planning tool for the project because Chop Wiki is smaller than the minimum one acre required for a planned-unit development.

Whitefish Planning Director Bob Horne maintained, however, that approving the development wouldn't set a precedent because the department considers each request on its own merit.

In a letter of protest, Iowa Avenue residents John and Claire Hughes, Dick and Kitty Neifert and Jim and Pam Lewis maintained that Chop Wiki representative Chad Grover gave the planning board an "either/or" ultimatum: Either approve the planned-unit development for an attractive project with a common exit or Chop Wiki would build four "snout-out" duplexes (units with the garages built in front of the living space) with multiple exits on neighborhood streets.

"We are not falling for the false either/or argument, which we have dubbed 'Beauty or the Beast,' " the neighbors wrote. "We believe it is shameful to try, however professionally, to use fear (snout houses) to attempt to coerce people into accepting your point of view."

However, the City Council is considering prohibiting construction of snout houses for multi-unit residential housing.

The council has not yet adopted findings of fact for its rejection of Chop Wiki, but will do so at the Oct. 16 meeting.