Whitefish mulls business uses on U.S. 93 strip
A proposal to expand business uses on the U.S. 93 strip south of Whitefish could be a hot-button issue as the Whitefish City-County Planning Board begins its year on Thursday.
Whitefish historically has tried to protect its downtown retail core from competing retail uses, but competing businesses in the secondary business district - on U.S. 93 from Sixth Street to Montana 40 - remain a threat to downtown vitality.
Over the years several nonconforming retail businesses have been allowed to proliferate and new businesses have been proposed that don't conform to current allowed uses, Whitefish Planning Director David Taylor said in his staff report.
After holding work sessions with both the City Council and the Planning Board, the city planning staff is recommending the addition of several new commercial uses along U.S. 93 instead of a "wholesale change.
"Completely opening up general retail uses outside of downtown in the WB-2 zone would be a serious blow" to goals outlined in the downtown master plan and Whitefish growth policy, Taylor said.
Among the proposed expanded uses are electronics stories, home furnishings, variety and sporting-goods stores, personal services 'such as hair salons and financial services), agricultural supplies and tack stores. Shopping malls already are a permitted use, but language would be added to allow general retail stores within malls.
The planning staff also said it would be worthwhile to consider allowing residential uses of all types on floors other than the ground floor in the secondary business district.
Currently, accessory apartments are a conditional use in the zone, but the staff recommends allowing single-family, duplex and multifamily dwellings on levels other than the ground floor as permitted uses.
A SECOND public hearing on the board's agenda is a request by the city of Whitefish to allow recreational vehicle storage, including boats, in the Whitefish industrial zone.
The city also wants to conditionally allow RV and boat storage in the limited business, secondary business, limited resort residential, general resort business, low-density resort residential and medium-density resort residential zoning districts.
The request stems from the city's concerns about paving requirements as they relate to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's designation of Whitefish as a non-attainment area for dust pollution.
"As a resort community with significant second-home ownership, there is a need for appropriately located places to store boats and other recreational vehicles," Taylor said.
The staff is recommending several zoning districts either permit or conditionally permit board/RV storage, subject to design standards with a newly proposed special-provisions section of the zoning law that outlines setbacks, screening and paving/dust prevention standards.
Two other agenda items - a proposed eating-disorder treatment facility at North Valley Hospital and changes to the city's laws for mobile-food vendors - have been postponed until February.
The board meets at 6 p.m. Thursday at Whitefish City Hall.