Whitefish proposes moratorium on density averaging

The Whitefish City Council on Tuesday will consider a six-month moratorium on allowing the averaging of residential density across zoning districts when a planned-unit development overlays more than one zoning district.

Questions have arisen over planned-unit development regulations in the city code, particularly over the issue of boundaries spanning multiple underlying zones.

The moratorium, to be imposed with an interim ordinance, would give city staff time to revise the planned-unit development chapter of Whitefish’s zoning code.

A public hearing will be held on the moratorium request.

A second public hearing focuses on amending zoning regulations to add neighborhood mixed-use and industrial transitional districts and development requirements for artisan manufacturing, microbreweries and microdistilleries, and live/work units to commercial zones along U.S. 93 West. It also adds new definitions for business incubators, coffee and sandwich shops, research facilities and various mixed uses as part of the U.S. 93 West corridor plan.

The council will hold a work session at 5 p.m. to discuss a water and wastewater structure study by Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services.

The council meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday. Both the work session and formal meeting will be held at the interim City Hall, 1005 Baker Ave.