Zone change studied for Whitefish industrial building
A building in an industrial zone in Whitefish is the focus of a zone-change public hearing tonight at the Whitefish City Council meeting.
Elaine Edwards and 1840 Baker LLC want to add a secondary business designation to the existing industrial and warehousing zoning for the former Master Plumbing building on Baker Avenue.
The change would allow the property to have a range of available future uses that are compatible with the existing industrial area as well as secondary business district zoning but don’t compete with the downtown central business district.
The owners propose professional offices and furniture manufacturing/sales in the existing building, and new buildings with uses that would potentially include a specialty foods market and a fine auto restoration business with some auto sales.
Both the Planning Board and city planning staff have recommended approval of the zone change.
Three other public hearings are on the agenda tonight.
The first is a conditional-use permit request from Tupelo Grille to expand its cabaret beer and wine license to include a full bar/lounge at the restaurant on Central Avenue.
Other hearings will consider an ordinance adopting amendments to the city’s impact fee law to reduce fees for small construction projects, and a resolution amending utility regulations to enable common water and sewer service connections for multiple structures in certain cases.
Glacier Hockey Association is asking the city to approve construction of additional locker rooms at Stumptown Ice Den.
The council will consider a resolution to vacate and abandon a portion of Scott Avenue and widen a portion of O’Brien Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets.
Orlan Sorensen, owner of Landmark Builders, is under contract to purchase Block 46 in Whitefish and has asked the city to consider using $543,345 in tax-increment money for sewer line location and sidewalk and parking infrastructure associated with his proposed $11.9 million boutique hotel.
If the city OKs using tax-increment money for the infrastructure, Sorensen has told city officials he wouldn’t ask the city for any tax incentives but would seek incentives from Flathead County, according to City Manager Chuck Stearn’s council report.
If tax incentives are approved by the county, the tax increment revenue Whitefish would get from the project would be reduced from $930,000 to $580,687.
Thus the $543,345 of possible cost for the improvements would use 94 percent of the tax-increment revenue the city would receive from the project, Stearns said. He is advising the council to carefully consider how much tax-increment money to commit to the infrastructure, since the decision will be a precedent for future private projects.
The council will hold interviews with applicants for a number of city committees from 4:45 to 7 p.m. The regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m.; both meetings are at Whitefish City Hall.