Subdivision planned at old hospital site

The Daily Inter Lake

Development plans for the old North Valley Hospital property in Whitefish will be considered Thursday by the Whitefish City-County Planning Board.

At the public hearing, the Aspen Group will unveil plans for The Banks at Whitefish resort community. Proposed is a 53-lot subdivision for nine single-family homes and 42 townhouse lots. A clubhouse and loop boardwalk trail within the Whitefish River wetlands are among the planned amenities.

The project will be the city's first application of the critical-areas ordinance to an entire development project, senior planner Wendy Compton-Ring said recently.

The Arizona-based company bought the 11.75-acre hospital site two years ago for $6.4 million.

In its planned-unit development application, The Aspen Group is asking for six deviations to subdivision regulations: for road width, sidewalk and lighting requirements, building height, setbacks and off-street parking.

For the privately owned and maintained roads within the development, the develop is asking for a 40-foot right of way instead of the standard 60-foot right of way; the driving surface would be the standard 28 feet.

Instead of installing sidewalks along the private streets, the developer wants to put sidewalks down the center of the blocks that will provide access to each dwelling and to the river trail.

Columbia Avenue would be built to city standards through the subdivision.

The Aspen Group said in its application that no building would be taller than 45 feet. The city has a 35-foot height limit for buildings, but last year the council agreed to a 45-foot height limit for the downtown area, with a 20-foot setback on the third floor.

The developer also wants a six-foot setback for front yards; city zoning requires a 20-foot front yard setback. Proposed parking is for 46 spaces instead of the required 53 spaces.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at Whitefish City Hall.