Building to new heights?

Whitefish group calls for study as developers pursue taller buildings

The ever-rising cost of land in Whitefish has developers looking at taller buildings to maximize their investment, and that concerns the Heart of Whitefish downtown group.

With several projects in the works that push the 35-foot height limit in Whitefish, the group on Wednesday unanimously decided to have Portland consulting firm Crandall Arambula, the same firm that completed the Whitefish downtown master plan, put together a capsule analysis on building heights in the downtown area.

In the course of drafting the downtown plan, Crandall Arambula addressed height and mass at length.

What the Heart of Whitefish wants is a synopsis of what's already in the master plan that can be used as development projects go through the planning process, board member Rhonda Fitzgerald said. It specifically will address the mass of buildings, the importance of fitting in with community character and the height restrictions.

"That's the goal," she said. "We want an easy little piece" that can be given to developers with the idea that "we're really glad you're here and want to invest in our community.

"The purpose of the downtown master plan was to create a hospitable environment of investment in downtown," Fitzgerald said.

The Whitefish City Council has been asked to support the height analysis and will consider it at its Monday night meeting.

"I agree with the Heart of Whitefish board and believe an analysis of the building height issue by George Crandall would provide valuable and thoughtful input for the council and community in advance of coming projects," City Manager Gary Marks said in his report to the council.

BLOCK 46, a four-story commercial and residential project on an entire city block at the southeast entrance to Whitefish's downtown, is among the developments that likely will need a height variance. A fourth floor is planned, but details about how it would be positioned are still being worked out, Great Northern Ventures managing member Paul Johannsen said earlier this year.

Block 46 will have some tall neighbors. 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.

Whitefish law states that buildings higher than 35 feet must provide suitable ladder access to all occupiable areas and the roof. They also must have sprinklers. No portion of a building above 35 feet can be closer than 20 feet from the street right of way, to mitigate the aesthetic impact of additional height.

Some building features aren't subject to height limits, including chimneys, church spires, belfries, domes and similar projections.

Building height can be pushed past 35 feet, however, through approval of a planned-unit development site plan.

ANOTHER project that pushes the 35-foot limit is O'Brien Lofts, a mixed-use building planned at 231 O'Brien Avenue, south of North Valley Eye Care. The top story is a penthouse at a height of 45 feet.

In preliminary discussions the Architectural Review Committee liked the building design but was concerned the scale of the building was inconsistent with other downtown buildings. Downtown Whitefish historically has contained two-story buildings with false fronts on the second stories.

The Whitefish Fire Department isn't equipped to fight fires in buildings higher than 35 feet, and accommodating them isn't as simple as getting a ladder fire truck, even if a developer were to buy one for the city, Whitefish Acting Fire Chief Doug Loy said.

"There are a lot of things to consider," he said. "You need a larger turning radius, the streets have to support the [truck] load, you need a building to put it in, people need to be trained to run it and there's a semi-annual testing of the ladder that costs a fair amount of money."

A large ladder truck would cost around $1 million, Loy said.

"There's a lot of four- and five-story stuff coming our way," he said. "We're trying to get our position known that life and safety issues are most important."

Loy said he's gotten word of a multistory development planned across from Grouse Mountain Lodge, but the planning office has yet to see an application for that project. International Capital Partners reportedly has purchased property in that area.

Also in the works are two downtown projects by International Capital Partners - a 40- to 60-room "boutique" hotel on four vacant lots next to Craggy Range restaurant on Central Avenue and a two-story building with a restaurant on the ground floor at the former Truby's pizza restaurant site, also on Central Avenue.

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