Committee gets first look at lodge's skybridge
A Starbucks for Safeway?
Architects for the Lodge At Whitefish Lake recently gave the Whitefish Architectural Review Committee a first look at preliminary plans for a skybridge over Wisconsin Avenue.
The 157-foot long skybridge will link the current lodge to the proposed Viking Day Lodge. The rectangular-shaped 174-foot long lodge addition will be aligned perpendicular to Wisconsin Avenue and will provide 32 rooms and spa facilities.
As presented by Grover + Co. architects Aaron Wallace and Ron Nash, the exterior of the Viking Day Lodge will have brown-colored cement-board lap-siding and trim, natural stone masonry around the base, and a rust-colored metal roof with several gable ends. The overall look will be less ornate than the current lodge.
The Whitefish City Council approved the skybridge concept as part of the Viking Creek Project planned-unit development in April 2007. As a condition of approval, the skybridge had to be OK'd by ARC and the public works department.
The drawing presented at the time showed an open pedestrian crossing without a roof. The skybridge was also intended to be available to the public as a way to address the hazards faced by guests and staff crossing in front of fast-moving traffic on Wisconsin Avenue.
ARC members noted other concerns about the preliminary design during their March 3 meeting.
Mary Jo Look said parts of the Viking Day Lodge appeared "warehousey," and the new building did not provide the same "warm feeling" she got from the current lodge.
Chance Cooke said the skybridge's flat roof made it look more like a "mining conveyance system" than a railroad trestle, as was intended.
John Constenius agreed with Cooke and suggested that the skybridge "could be designed to be more transparent so it isn't seen — maybe use more glass." He also suggested locating the skybridge above the pedestrian crossing on Wisconsin Avenue so lights on the skybridge could be used to illuminate the crosswalk.
Carin Cross said the skybridge will "change the neighborhood incredibly." She also said she didn't want the Viking Day Lodge "to look lesser than the lodge across the street."
Ian Collins said closing the skybridge to the public 'sets a horrible precedent." He said he was surprised the city council had approved that idea.
The Montana Department of Transportation earlier expressed concerns in a Dec. 11 letter about clearance needs for oversize loads or construction equipment heading up Wisconsin, which is a state highway, to Whitefish Mountain Resort.
¥ In other city planning news, Safeway recently submitted a sign-permit application for its remodeled grocery store. The plan includes a sign for a Starbucks restaurant.
During a public hearing for a big-box-store conditional-use permit on June 4, 2007, Safeway representative Jeff Parker assured the city council "they have listened to the community and have decided not to have a Starbucks in the store."