Whitefish studies proposed corridor plan
A corridor plan that addresses future land use along U.S. 93 West will be discussed during a Whitefish City Council work session today from 5 to 7 p.m.
The council intends to talk about a couple of contentious issues and other neighborhood concerns related to the proposed corridor plan in advance of a public hearing and possible council action at the April 20 City Council meeting.
The focus of the corridor plan is to respect existing land uses and zoning while allowing for the transition to future land uses as the community grows. It aims to preserve various elements of historic character in future land use while providing a vision for future growth, according to the plan prepared by WGM Group and Sitescape Associates.
A steering committee, along with city staffers, held several meetings and also staged an open house to get neighborhood input.
The corridor includes the area of U.S. 93 West from the Whitefish River to the Mountainside Drive area.
The plan divides the corridor into various areas, and land uses for Area B on the north side of U.S. 93 W. from the river to Ramsey Avenue have drawn criticism from neighbors. The existing zoning is residential, with allowable conditional uses with specific performance standards and planned unit developments.
Recommended land uses for Area B to include artisan manufacturing, coffee and sandwich shops and resort residential zoning allowing short-term and overnight rentals have drawn criticism from some residents.
Artisan manufacturing is a proposed new zoning classification that would allow several types of new commercial and manufacturing businesses, including microbreweries.
Three years ago Ryan Zinke, then a state senator, pulled his application for a microbrewery and bed-and-breakfast inn on U.S. 93 in that area amid opposition from neighbors who didn’t want the commercial development.
At the time, the city planning staff had recommended tabling Zinke’s project until a corridor study could be done because it didn’t comply with the Whitefish growth policy.
Zinke is now Montana’s lone representative in the U.S. House.
The corridor includes a number of high-profile businesses and amenities, including Whitefish Lake Golf Club, the Idaho Timber facility, Grouse Mountain Lodge and Great Northern Veterans Peace Park.
In other business during tonight’s regular council meeting, the Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau will present its marketing plan and lodging tax budget of $90,000 for the coming fiscal year.
An application from Four Forty Seven LLC for Whitefish Creek Subdivision, a five-lot, 1.19-acre development at 447 Karrow Ave., will be considered.
Iron Horse Homeowners Association has asked for a modification to the subdivision, allowing the reconfiguration of the guardhouse on Iron Horse Drive to a welcome center in a median of the roadway.
The council meets at 7:10 p.m.; both the meeting and preceding work session are at City Hall.