Developers revamp U.S. 93 plan in Whitefish

Developers aiming to create a neighborhood plan for 70 acres fronting U.S. 93 South in Whitefish have submitted a revamped application that is the focus of a Whitefish Planning Board public hearing on Thursday, June 21.

Whitefish 57 LLC and Eagle Enterprises pulled their application from Whitefish City Council review in April amid neighborhood concerns over impacts to wetlands and neighborhoods surrounding the property on the west side of U.S. 93 between Park Knoll Lane and JP Road.

The Whitefish Planning Board in March unanimously recommended denial of the proposed neighborhood plan.

During the earlier planning review neighbors organized the South Whitefish Neighborhood Association to address a number of objections to the plan. Association representative Mayre Flowers told the Planning Board the neighborhood plan should wait while the city updates its extension of services plan and creates a U.S. 93 South corridor plan.

The developers’ new application pulls the wetlands acreage to the east — about half of the 70 acres — out of the proposed plan, Whitefish senior planner Wendy Compton-Ring said.

The new neighborhood plan proposes four different sections of commercial and residential development, with 9.5 acres of multifamily residential zoning along the east side of the future Baker Avenue extension. It calls for commercial zoning in two roughly 6-acre sections along U.S. 93, and an 11.9-acre swath of proposed urban residential zoning through the midsection of the property.

The board meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 21, at Whitefish City Hall, 418 E. Second St.

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