Policy hearing tonight
Proposed land-use designations in outlying areas of Whitefish's planning jurisdiction and infill development requirements go under the microscope today as the Whitefish City Council holds its public hearing on the growth policy.
It's the final hurdle for a plan that's been more than two years in the making.
The Planning Board last month recommended approval of the growth policy, with a few changes. One crucial amendment aims to holds the city's feet to the fire regarding an infill policy that requires at least 50 percent of approved lots be built out before allowing any redesignation of rural and rural residential land.
The amendment moves the infill issue from recommended actions to the policy section and states that if the Planning Board fails to review the growth policy within two years and submit a written report to the council, the enforcement of the infill requirement will be suspended. But once the council gets its report from the board, it can reinstate the infill policy by a simple majority.
A recommendation to have the city explore "growth metering" - limiting the rate at which permits are issued to control growth - was deleted by the Planning Board.
A special appendix to the land-use element of the growth policy also was added, with detailed explanations of the methods used for determining the number of developable lots on the books. The estimate of development potential is extremely conservative, the draft states, adding that a block-by-block examination of the entire Whitefish urbanized area would have turned up many more potential lots.
RECOMMENDED rural and rural residential land-use designations along the U.S. 93 corridor south of Montana 40 spurred the most controversy at the first growth-policy hearing in September.
Homeowners along the highway maintain the area is no longer appropriate for residential use because of the noise and existing commercial activity. Without commercial zoning, they can't sell their homes, several residents argued.
Drafters of the growth policy argued that highway sprawl is an issue and commercial zoning in that area will open the door to strip development.
Whitefish resident Debbie Biolo, who has testified previously on the growth policy and written several letters to the city, urged the council in her latest letter to carefully consider land-use designations.
"There will be unintended consequences set in motion if this most important section is not revised before adoption," she said.
"Our own growth policy drools with the manipulation of the lingo such as 'community consensus,' 'emerging vision,' 'innovation,' 'diversity,' 'sustainability,' blah, blah, blah," Biolo wrote. "But all the while the reality is seen by the actual actions of our city government in proposing ordinances that put affordable housing, property right protection and real sustainability of families and their futures further and further out of reach."
THE GROWTH policy hearing is the last of three public hearings slated on tonight's agenda. The first two hearings include a zone change for Bear Paw Pediatrics from agricultural to secondary business zoning at 6111 U.S. 93 South and preliminary plat approval for Park Place, a four-lot subdivision on 1.86 acres at 1035 Park Avenue.
The council will consider a resolution encouraging the governor of Montana and premier of British Columbia to meet regarding transborder issues.
The meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. today at Whitefish City Hall.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com