Whitefish Council talks growth policy update

Whitefish City Council on Monday will hold a work session regarding the city’s growth policy update.  

Council will hear a progress report on the Vision Whitefish 2045 plan and then provide direction as necessary.  

The work session begins at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. Council meets at City Hall, 418 E. Second St. 

Whitefish last year kicked off an update to its growth policy, which is a city document intended to be a guide for making decisions about the city’s future in regard to land use planning. The growth policy is used as a guide in creating zoning regulations and making decisions regarding planning and typically looks 20 years into the future.  

The city’s current growth policy was adopted in 2007.  

The city has hosted several public visioning sessions to gather input on what should be included in the document. It has also held work sessions with the Community Development Board on the plan.  

The vision statement drafted for the plan says that the citizens of Whitefish value the working-class origin of the city and embrace the future while honoring the past.  

“We treasure the walkability, quality of life, and small town feel for our community,” it says. “We will ensure Whitefish remains an exceptional place to live, work and play.” 

Work thus far has produced six themes that are expected to form the foundation for Vision Whitefish 2045: fostering responsible community development, encouraging a diversity of housing, being a multimodal community, supporting a robust economy, leading in environmental sustainability and community resiliency, and ensuring high quality public services and infrastructure.  

Growth policies have new weight under the Montana Land Use Planning Act passed by the 2023 Legislature which puts public participation early in the process and streamlines decision-making at the municipal level.  

Cities like Whitefish have two years to craft an updated land-use plan during which time public participation is encouraged, but after that if a development meets criteria set out in the plan it may not go in front of a planning commission or city council for final approval.  

Whitefish has created a website for information on its growth policy at www.engagewhitefish.com. 

There are no public hearings on the regular meeting agenda.  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.