'Four stories is just too high'

Firm contradicts earlier suggestion

The Portland consulting firm that suggested a four-story "boutique" hotel as a catalyst project in the Whitefish downtown master plan now has issued a different opinion: "Under no conditions will a fourth floor be allowed."

Crandall Arambula, which drafted the downtown plan two years ago after a series of public meetings, recently responded to a request from the Heart of Whitefish downtown group to put together a brief analysis of building heights and recommendations for the downtown area.

With several multistory development projects in the works for the downtown area, the Heart of Whitefish wanted a synopsis that can be used as development projects go through the planning process.

Crandall Arambula's latest two-page report addresses existing conditions, the "tipping point" for too much building mass and the consequences of allowing three- and four-story buildings.

In addition to recommending that fourth floors be banned altogether, the firm said building heights should be limited to the law's intent of a two-floor expression along the street. It also recommends strictly enforcing the setback requirement above the second floor.

Whitefish has a 35-foot height limit for buildings, but allows additional height with a 20-foot setback from the street right of way to mitigate aesthetic impact. Any piece of a building in the setback, such as an elevator shaft or third floor, must be limited to 45 feet.

Crandall Arambula said upcoming development projects "take a very creative approach to code interpretation, ignoring the code intent to limit the apparent building height to two floors.

"They attempt to shoehorn four floors into 45 feet," the firm wrote in its recent analysis.

In a telephone interview Monday, consultant George Crandall said he and fellow consultant Don Arambula initially thought a four-story hotel - 4,650 square feet with ground-floor retail/restaurant space and underground parking - would be appropriate for the vacant lots next to Craggy Range restaurant in downtown Whitefish, at the corner of Central Avenue and First Street.

Their early thinking was that if it were carefully designed, with a vertical and not horizontal building expression, it could be an important economic development generator.

Following the completion of the downtown master plan, the firm conducted in-house three-dimensional massing studies - out of curiosity - after a developer expressed interest in a downtown hotel.

"It became very obvious that three stories is pushing the limit and that four stories is just too high," Crandall said.

Had the firm conducted the 3-D studies at the time of the downtown plan, it would not have suggested the four-story hotel, he said.

THE DOWNTOWN plan also calls for a three-story parking structure at the corner of Spokane Avenue and Second Street that falls within the 35-foot limit but somewhat contradicts the consultants' latest recommendation that buildings be limited to the code intent of a two-floor expression.

The proposed parking-structure site is across the street from Whitefish Middle School, one of the tallest buildings in town.

"That area has more flexibility," Crandall said. "You can see the [height] reference to the school and we felt there's not quite the sensitivity there."

Whitefish Middle School has towers that are 52 feet; the Downtowner Inn across the street is 41 feet.

In 1996 the council approved a 45-foot building height for a condominium project planned at the Downtowner site, but it never materialized.

In that same area, Block 46 is planned as a four-story commercial and residential project on an entire city block between Spokane and Kalispell avenues and Second and Third streets.

According to details provided for an Aug. 21 Whitefish Architectural Review Committee meeting, the maximum building height would be 49 feet at the very highest point of the parapet. The third floor would be stepped back 20 feet and the fourth floor would be set back an additional 30 feet.

Another downtown project with height concerns is the proposed Block 30 project on four lots next to Craggy Range restaurant. International Capital Properties proposes a hotel with 80 units that works within the 35-foot limit for the first three floors and steps back 20 feet for the fourth floor.

"They are trying to create a small urban village by incorporating a midblock alley and urban wall along Second and Baker," the Architectural Review Committee minutes noted. "They are considering the placement of a bell tower on the corner with a courtyard area that would be used as a gathering spot for downtown events."

Block 30 also proposes an underground parking garage below Markus Foods.

In a separate project, International Capital Properties intends to develop the property at the former Truby's restaurant site. During a July 17 architectural review meeting, the project was proposed as The Lofts at Cobblestone, a development with three buildings along Central Avenue between the Red Caboose and Two Medicine Gallery. The main portion of the building would be 35 feet, with a step back up to 45 feet.

THE CONSULTANTS pointed to recent development in Santa Fe, N.M., as an example of a community that has reached the "tipping point," the point at which building height becomes a deterrent. A visitor destination similar to Whitefish, Santa Fe had buildings that were mostly one and two stories, with only a few three-story buildings.

"In recent years, a small number of four-story buildings have been added," the consultants wrote in their analysis. "Business owners were now hearing visitors say, 'Santa Fe is starting to look like every other community. I am not coming back.' Santa Fe's leaders realized that the city was at a tipping point. By allowing new buildings to be over three stories, they were destroying the special character that had made the city successful."

Crandall Arambula warned that Whitefish is in a situation similar to Santa Fe, and that allowing three- and four-story buildings in the downtown area will open the floodgates and taller buildings will follow.

"Whitefish's downtown is unique and fragile," the consultants said. "It cannot be duplicated; however, it can be destroyed by new development that is out of scale with existing buildings."

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