Whitefish still growing, city report says

The city of Whitefish annexed 376 acres last year, pushing the resort town's size to 11.62 square miles - a 163 percent increase in size since 2000.

Annexation is one of many topics covered in the city's recently released Planning & Building Department annual report for 2008.

Last year's annexations were the most since 2005 when Whitefish annexed 3,458 acres, including Whitefish Lake. Most years since 2003 the city has annexed an average of 30 to 50 acres annually.

Whitefish Planning Director David Taylor speculated in the report that the upswing in annexations was in response to the county's actions to resume control of Whitefish's two-mile planning "doughnut."

He contended that many of the property owners who received plat or planned-unit development approval from the City Council "did not have adequate assurance from Flathead County that their vested rights with projects previously approved by the city of Whitefish would be honored in Flathead County" and therefore requested annexation.

The report also tracked building-permit activity, revealing that the recession began taking a toll on Whitefish last year.

Residential building activity peaked in Whitefish in 2005, with a record 292 permits approved for single-family, townhouse/duplex and multifamily projects. Last year, the number of residential permits plummeted to 35.

Commercial construction has remained relatively strong, though. In 2004, 34 permits were issued for commercial projects; in 2008, 25 commercial permits were issued.

Remodeling has been robust, with 94 permits issued in 2008 for additions and remodeling jobs. That compares with 66 permits in 2005 and 81 in 2006.

This year may continue to be a bit slower for multifamily construction, Taylor speculated, "but we should still see a large number a new high-end custom homes as well as a high number of remodels."

Subdivision activity likewise is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn. Last year, lots finalized through final platting were down by more than half from 2007. Forty lots were created in 2008.

But since 1999, a total of 1,088 new building lots have been created, largely to accommodate Whitefish's 60 percent population increase by 2007 to 8,083 - an increase of 3,051 people from the 2000 census.

The U.S. Census Bureau indicated Whitefish has been the fastest-growing city in the state, followed by Kalispell with 42 percent growth since 2000.

Lakeshore permit activity in Whitefish dropped by one-third in 2008, with 54 permits processed, compared to 78 in 2007.

Land-use permit activity was up sharply, due to the city's new critical-areas ordinance that took effect in April 2008. Critical-area permits and preliminary determinations accounted for 144 of 194 permits reviewed.

The annual report can be accessed in its entirety on the city Web site. Go to http://www.whitefish.govoffice.com; in the left column click on Planning & Building Department, then "What's New" and then on the 2008 annual report.

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