Whitefish considers workforce housing proposal

Acknowledging a dire need for workforce housing, the city of Whitefish has proposed a number of zoning amendments to create more housing opportunities.

The Whitefish City Council will hold a public hearing on the zoning amendments at tonight’s meeting.

Specifically, the changes will allow multifamily and workforce housing above ground-floor commercial properties in the secondary business district and will conditionally permit multifamily and workforce housing in that district.

The proposal also provides a definition of workforce housing and provides a parking standard for such housing.

The Planning Board in January unanimously recommended approval of the amendments and added three additional stipulations. The board recommended that workforce housing located on the same parcel as the primary employer should be reviewed as an administrative conditional-use permit, meaning the city zoning administrator would review and issue the permit.

The board also clarified that rentals of fewer than 30 days won’t be permitted.

A housing needs assessment conducted by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the city indicated nearly 1,000 affordable housing units are needed in Whitefish by 2020 to make up for the current shortage and accommodate future housing needs.

In other business, a work session at 6 p.m. will focus on a request by North Valley Music School to lease the city’s snow storage lot to accommodate a new music school.

The regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m.; both the work session and council meeting are at the interim City Hall at 1005 Baker Ave., Whitefish.

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