Neighborhood Nexus

By LYNNETTE HINTZE/The Daily Inter Lake

Whitefish development a lesson in sustainability

Two buzzwords are apparent when Dan Weinberg talks about his proposed Rail Town Gardens development: balance and sustainability.

Weinberg and his development team have put together a one-of-a-kind project on 3.5 acres off Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish that will include community gardens, commercial space, affordable housing and a miniature railroad system traversing the property.

"It brings together a lot of things that have interested me," said Weinberg, a Whitefish state senator and civic leader. "I've talked to developers and they say they haven't seen anything like it."

The mandate of Rail Town Gardens, he said, is to "offer the lessons, innovations and benefits of this project back to our community." Environmentally friendly, or "green" building materials, methods and energy systems figure heavily into the development.

Scott Elden, who is heading up the project design, said the goal is to offer community benefit beyond commerce alone.

"The point of all this is showing that community benefits can pencil out," Elden said.

RAIL TOWN Gardens includes a commercial area along Denver Street, between Wisconsin and Colorado avenues. Rising Sun Bistro on Wisconsin will remain but will be refurbished and made more energy-efficient, Elden said. The remaining frontage along Wisconsin will be retained as open space and includes the starting point for the train.

Weinberg, a railroad aficionado, said he already has purchased a G-16 scale locomotive and coaches - the kind of replicas commonly used in amusement parks. It will carry passengers on leisurely rides throughout Rail Town Gardens. He wants to inject an element of fun into the project and envisions a "community center" atmosphere, with music playing in the evenings as diners or shoppers hop on the train for a ride through the neighborhood.

Near the bistro, a commercial complex is planned that will include a restaurant, microbrewery and ice creamery. Patrick Burns, who is managing the development end of Rail Town Gardens, will operate the creamery. He anticipates making ice cream and distributing it throughout the region.

Prospective owners of the planned brewery, who have brewing experience, are now solidifying their business plan.

A building with space for offices and shops will be located directly behind Rising Sun Bistro.

Greenery and open space throughout the commercial area will retain an element of the property's historic use as gardens and a greenhouse. Ted and Connie Lund operated a greenhouse business and shop on the site from the 1950s through 1979.

The center portion of the project along Denver Avenue includes a mixed-use facility that would offer commercial space on the first floor, offices or service-based businesses on the second floor and four residential condominiums on the top floor.

Whitefish Lake Institute, a current tenant on the site, is considering relocating into office space at Rail Town Gardens and creating an educational center, Weinberg said.

A total of 23,800 square feet of commercial space is planned throughout the project. All of the buildings would be "condominiumized," he added, to maintain character and quality.

"I believe people are better off owning" their homes and businesses, he said. "They're more committed that way."

SOUTH OF the mixed-use complex, a .65-acre community garden is planned, along with a proposed greenhouse and garden service kitchen, a kind of "garden clubhouse," Weinberg said.

Raised beds and other garden plots would be rented or leased at affordable rates. Jill Hoxmeier is the community garden project coordinator.

Affordable homes would be configured into housing on the east end of the property along Colorado Avenue. Ideally, the housing would be a blend of affordable units for low-income residents and starter homes for moderate-income families.

Preliminary plans call for four 900-square-foot residences above the mixed-use complex, seven cottage homes and three duplexes.

The plan is to create a community land trust and work with housing agencies such as the Whitefish Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity.

Whitefish Housing Authority Director SueAnn Grogan said she has seen the plans for Rail Town Gardens and is impressed.

"I know we're interested," she said. "It's a well-thought-out, nice neighborhood."

Weinberg said he wants to "partner with people who know more than we do."

To that end, Densin, the limited liability corporation driving the project, will work with entities such as Flathead Electric Cooperative, Northwestern Energy and the National Center for Appropriate Technologies to make Rail Town Gardens largely a green project that carries Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Weinberg has a long list of green elements he would like to see used in Rail Town Gardens - everything from rain- and gray-water reclamation systems to straw-bale construction to using pulverized recycled glass for trails and road bases. He wants the project to help teach others about green building.

The Whitefish Planning and Building Department has been helping the development team with the interpretations of city regulations and planning for the project. A planned-unit development application will be submitted to the city during the first week of April, Elden said. If all goes as planned, construction would begin this summer.

WHILE Rail Town Gardens may be unique in its configuration, there are many elements of the project that are tried and true, Weinberg said.

Community gardens have long been a part of the culture in European countries. In the United States, "liberty" gardens sprang up during World War I, "relief" gardens were promoted during the Great Depression and World War II brought "victory" gardens.

Blending commercial and residential space has been used successfully in Europe for a long time to create synergy in urban areas.

"There will be life going on day and night, which is great," Weinberg said.

DENSIN LLC pieced together the various parcels that create Rail Town Gardens and Weinberg put up the money to purchase the land.

Funding for the project is still a work in progress. Businesses will buy their own commercial condominiums, and Weinberg figures the housing will come about through a blend of affordable-housing and grant programs.

Three existing homes on the property will be torn down or relocated. They include a home being used as headquarters for the Flathead Democratic Party and two other older homes, one of which was owned by lifelong Whitefish resident Gladys Spear.

Spear, an elderly woman who has lived in her home since she was 10 days old, contacted her longtime friend, Realtor Ed Meek, for help in selling her property.

"She came to me and we began discussions with Dan" Weinberg, Meek said. "My main concern from the start was that she sell at a fair and equitable price, and then we find her a place to live."

Spear picked a lot across the street on Colorado Avenue and is getting assistance from Meek's wife, Cherie, in putting together plans for a new home that will be ready for Spear this fall.

"She [Gladys] is very pleased," Meek said.

THE ENTIRE project has an element of the kind of self-sufficiency that's been a part of Weinberg's life since he was a boy. A stint in the Peace Corps in Kenya fostered his interest in land issues.

During that time he worked with an agricultural cooperative, setting up passion-fruit nurseries and helping market the produce.

Later, his quest for self-sufficiency took him to Spain where he bought farm land, raised crops and essentially grew his own food. He farmed and ranched in California for years while also working as a counselor in various agency settings.

In Whitefish, he was the project chairman for The Wave aquatic and fitness center.

As Weinberg walks the Rail Town Gardens property, he reiterates that he really wants it to be a green community demonstration project that can be a model for other neighborhood projects.

But he also wants it to be something people can enjoy.

Just imagine, he said, people gathering to eat a good meal, then lingering to listen to music and rest in the courtyard before getting an ice-cream cone and hopping on the train for a ride.

"It sounds like fun, doesn't it?" he mused.

Information about Rail Town Gardens, including sustainable building and energy resources, is available online at www.railtowngardens.com

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