Whitefish parking plan calls for better enforcement

The Whitefish City Council tonight is poised to adopt a parking management plan that maps out the details about how the city can better manage its existing downtown parking resources before needing to construct new parking garages.

A public hearing will be held at tonight’s meeting.

Created by Dixon Resources Unlimited, the parking plan points to a lack of parking management as one of the “root issues” to parking in downtown Whitefish. The city has parking spaces that often are empty because of their location, lack of signs or because regulations don’t allow a balanced use of some spaces.

One of the key strategies in the plan is adding a seasonal parking enforcement officer for the summer months to crack down on enforcement during the evenings and on weekends. The parking official should take an ambassador approach to parking, the plan advises, not only to monitor potential parking violations but also to educate drivers about how to access various areas of downtown.

Last year, the city issued 1,956 parking citations, according to a Whitefish Pilot article that noted 15 to 25 tickets were given per day at the height of the summer season, while the remainder of the year averaged about four parking tickets daily.

Parking-specific citation management software and a parking enforcement vehicle should be procured to improve efficiency and compliance, the plan recommends.

Other recommendations included:

- A targeted peak summer shuttle service pilot project should be developed, starting with high-impact special events such as the Fourth of July, Huckleberry Days and the Farmers Market.

- An all-day parking permit program should be developed to meet the needs of downtown employees.

The consultants noted the city’s parking facility behind City Hall is underutilized and is at about 70 to 80% of capacity, even during peak times.

The draft downtown parking plan is available online at www.cityofwhitefish.org; go to the Planning and Zoning page and click on Long Range Plans.

In other business, the council will hold a public hearing on request from Sandra Hartman to rezone about 1.5 acres at 1320 Wisconsin Avenue from one-family to two-family residential zoning.

The council will consider a request from Mark and Sally Elliott for a Whitefish lakeshore variance to reconstruct a dwelling within the protection zone at 1110 Birch Point Drive.

During a work session, at 6 p.m. the Whitefish Housing Authority will review the Legacy Homes program implementation plan, specifically the rental deed restriction draft. At 6:30 p.m. Public Works Director Craig Workman will give an update on the water and sewer infrastructure.

The regular council meeting starts at 7:10 p.m.; all sessions are at Whitefish City Hall.

News Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.