Upscale housing planned

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

Plans are in the works for 150 upscale dwelling units at the former North Valley Hospital site in Whitefish.

The Aspen Group announced Wednesday it has closed on the purchase of the 12-acre site. The Arizona-based company paid $6.4 million and is proceeding with development plans.

North Valley Hospital vacated the premises in late March when the hospital moved to a new campus near the intersection of U.S. 93 and Montana 40.

Aspen Whitefish NVH, a limited-liability affiliate of The Aspen Group, will lead the redevelopment project. Team leader Jay Donnelly said he expects to submit site plans to the city planning office by late fall.

The real-estate deal had been pending for more than a year. The Aspen Group initially offered $6.9 million for the site, but reduced its offer by $500,000 when the city declined to give up right of way for a future extension of 13th Street over the river. Even though the road extension and bridge may never be built because of the cost, the City Council wanted to keep all options open for future road extensions.

THE 37-YEAR-OLD structure that housed North Valley Hospital will be torn down to make way for approximately 150 single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums, company spokesperson Juliet Straker said. There are no plans for commercial development along U.S. 93 frontage.

The first phase - targeted for groundbreaking in late 2008 - would include waterfront homes along the Whitefish River on the eastern edge of the property.

"As we develop our plan we will be speaking with the neighbors," Donnelly said in a prepared statement. "The input of the community and respect to the surrounding area is an integral part of our considerations as we fine-tune the designs for the site."

Whitefish Senior Planner Wendy Compton-Ring said Aspen officials stopped in about a month ago, "asking about the process." She perused preliminary plans but nothing has officially been submitted, she said.

The Aspen Group is developing two other Flathead Valley projects: the 84-acre Tamarack Heights next to Meadow Lake golf course and the proposed 3,000-home Starling master-planned community on 640 acres west of the new Glacier High School.

Straker said the company does not plan to buy the 12-acre Greenwood Trailer Court site next to the former hospital property.

Greenwood Trailer Court owner Dennis Rasmussen said Aspen was interested in the property at one time, "but they haven't contacted me lately." Rasmussen has his property listed for sale at $9.2 million and is taking bids.

Trailer-court tenants vacated the premises last fall and Rasmussen clear-cut mature trees and cleaned up debris to prepare the property for resale.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com