Whitefish mulls downtown plan update

The Whitefish City Council will focus its attention on an update of the downtown master plan today, first with a work session from 5 to 7 p.m. and later with a public hearing at the meeting beginning at 7:10 p.m.

Both meetings are at Whitefish City Hall.

Crandall-Arambula, the Portland consulting firm that drafted the original downtown master plan in 2006, has shepherded the update that if adopted will become an amendment to the Whitefish growth policy. A representative of the firm will attend the meetings.

The Whitefish Planning Board in September unanimously recommended approval of the downtown plan update, but added an amendment to retain a pedestrian tunnel under the viaduct that crosses the railroad tracks on Baker/Wisconsin avenues.

The downtown plan is meant to be a guide for future projects, zoning and development and works as a companion document to the growth policy and area neighborhood plans.

The proposed update takes an aggressive approach to the city’s parking problem, recommending sites for three parking structures in coming years. It also proposes extending retail growth to the south on Central Avenue and into the Railway District.

The council has several other public hearings on tap. They include: 

• A resolution of intent to adopt a Whitefish parks and recreation master plan as an amendment to the 2007 growth policy.

• A conditional-use permit request by Digital Skylines to replace an 80-foot baseball field light with a pole for both field lights and cellular wireless panel antennas. The request also includes a fenced area nearby for equipment.

• A resolution to approve a petition to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to limit a portion of the Whitefish River to manually powered or electric boat motors to protect public safety and the river bank.

• A conditional-use permit request for a guest house at 3013 Iron Horse Drive.

• A conditional-use permit request from the owners of Hurraw! lip balm for an expanded home occupation permit at 625 Park Ave., where Whitefish Independent High School now operates.

Whitefish Credit Union, on behalf of Lookout Ridge Investors, LLC, is asking for a two-year extension of the Lookout Ridge preliminary plat. The development planned is 139 units on 267.7 acres north of Iron Horse and Ptarmigan, off Big Mountain Road.