Whitefish project gets board OK

The Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday recommended approval of the redesigned 2nd Street Residences subdivision on the east edge of the city, despite a huge outpouring of opposition from neighbors who say the high-density plan is too intrusive for that area.

Board members, saying they sympathized with the neighbors, agonized over the decision following a three-hour public hearing.

The project presents a conundrum, they agreed, because on one hand the city needs reasonably priced rental housing close to schools and downtown, but on the other hand, the traffic and density issues accompanying the project are valid concerns.

In the end the board voted 5-1 in favor of the project. Board member Mary Vail was the lone opponent; she said there were still too many unanswered questions to support the project. Board members Rick Blake, Zak Anderson and Diane Smith were absent.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on 2nd Street Residences at its Aug. 19 meeting and will cast the final vote.

Sean Averill and William MacDonald of Community Infill Partners first presented the project to the Planning Board in March, asking for a planned unit development and zone change to accommodate a 174-unit subdivision north of the intersection of Second Street and Armory Road.

The initial plan was to build 164 apartments spread over 17 buildings.

After neighbors objected to the density and said the subdivision would generate too much traffic, the developers revamped the project and shaved 30 units from the plan, removed the massive apartment buildings and reconfigured the units into numerous small buildings in a “pocket” rental community within the development. The rentals would be professionally managed.

Averill and MacDonald now plan to build 92 apartment units, 20 condominiums and 16 single-family homes with accessory apartments.

To do this, the developers need a zone change from WR-1 (one family residential) to WR-2 (two-family residential) on six acres of the property and a change from agricultural to estate residential on two other tracts. The property is owned by David Kauffman and portions of the land have been farmed for hay over the years.

A planned-unit development — a planning tool that allows a developer to accommodate density without being bound by existing zoning requirements — will allow the developers to cluster the homes and preserve about 68 percent open space on the 24-acre tract.

The developers will take advantage of density bonuses by providing 14 deed-restricted affordable rental units to be managed by the Whitefish Housing Authority.

Several neighbors said they appreciated the developers’ efforts to address their concerns. Many liked the design and features such as preserving a mature stand of pine trees on the property, but they continued to maintain the density is simply too great for that area.

“The pocket neighborhood is a great concept, but it’s a highly urban concept and is not appropriate for this area,” said Bob Horne, a former Whitefish planning director who lives near the proposed development.

Horne provided the board with an inventory of six other sites in the city that could accommodate such a multifamily development, saying the Second Street neighbors are “not obligated to sacrifice” their diverse neighborhood for the sake of such a high-density development.

Kauffman, who grew up in a home that will remain on the property, said he bought the adjoining 20 acres in 1988 to preserve the land while his parents lived there. At the time both parcels were outside city limits. He said he tried to convince the city to change the underlying zoning when the growth policy was being written, knowing someday it would be ripe for development.

When the city got approval from a state attorney general ruling in 1998 to annex about 400 parcels, the Kauffmans’ farmland was among them, even though they asked for an exemption.

“If the community doesn’t allow my property to develop, then we need to consider the process,” Kauffman said. “Had I not held this property it would’ve been developed like Willow Brook [a nearby subdivision]. It’s not fair to penalize this property simply because its development was delayed. The professional planners should’ve foreseen the potential problems.”

He suggested if the neighbors are inclined to preserve his property, they should all chip in and buy it.

Kauffman’s sister, Rebecca Kauffman, also testified at the hearing, but she took a different view, saying she supports affordable housing but doesn’t want to see the affordable housing aspect used as a “pawn” to get approval. She said she’s familiar with pocket neighborhoods in Durango, Colo., where she now lives, and has seen them look more like “walk-ups in Brooklyn” than housing that’s compatible with a ski town.

Kathy Spangenberg, a Second Street resident, said she, too, feels the pocket neighborhood concept is out of place for that area, though she liked other features of the project.

“I’m in favor of infill, but I consider the pocket neighborhood overfill,” Spangenberg said.

The subdivision is projected to generate about 1,080 vehicle trips per day, well below the maximum capacity of 3,000 to 5,000 vehicle trips per day, Averill pointed out. But putting more than 1,000 more vehicle trips on those roads was a huge concern for neighbors.

“Adding 1,000 car trips will have a big impact on the safety of my family,” Melinda Morrison said.

Second Street will be rebuilt next summer from Larch Avenue east to the railroad tracks. The grade will be reduced and a bike path will be built on the south side of the street, according to Karin Hilding of the Public Works Department.

After much discussion, the Planning Board added three amendments to its recommendation of approval:

First, the board asked that the city Public Works Department further review the intersection of Second Street and Armory Road.

Second, the developers will conduct a new traffic study to determine vehicle loads on nearby WR-1 neighborhoods, and traffic counts for the 2nd Street project would need to fall within 15 percent of the WR-1 counts.

Third, the board wants the city to develop a plan for a mixed-use path along Armory Road and make it a priority in the city’s plan for future pedestrian/bike paths.

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