No clear consensus on parking structure

Plans for a combined downtown parking structure and city hall garnered mixed reviews from both Whitefish City Councilors and the public at a recent work session. There remains no clear consensus of support or disapproval of the proposed $9 million project after final review of the feasibility and design study.

Councilors are set to consider at their May 20 meeting if a new city hall on Second Street and Baker Avenue should be built with structured parking or surface parking.

The combined city hall and structured parking project is proposed to be paid for with tax increment finance funds. A parking structure is projected to cost up to $6.41 million, while a new city hall is projected to cost $3 million.

Multiple proposed designs were presented by consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates.

One design shows city hall along Second Street with a parking garage along Baker Avenue. Another alternative features city hall along Baker Avenue and retail spaces along Second Street, with parking accessed from First Street.

Total public parking spaces added would range from 216 to 233, depending on the design chosen.

The April 15 roundtable work session gave councilors a chance to sound off. Most had questions and concerns about the total cost and funding mechanism.

“We know we have a parking problem,” councilor Chris Hyatt said. “I have a problem with outlay of money for this. $6 million scares me.”

The idea of using a Special Improvement District assessment to help fund the project drew some interest. An in-lieu parking fee, or making the structure a paid parking facility was also considered.

An in-lieu fee would require developers of downtown properties to pay a fee that goes toward public parking if they can’t provide an adequate number of parking spaces for their building.

John Anderson said he doesn’t think the council should make a decision until those options are studied.

Phil Mitchell argued that if $9 million is used on city hall and parking, there won’t be enough money left in the TIF fund to pay for all the projects on the city’s TIF priority list.

Anderson countered that parking was deemed by council to be the top priority.

“Parking comes first,” Anderson said. “If you can do other things along the way, that’s fine.”

Mitchell said he was in favor of surface parking at the city hall site, but that ultimately he’d rather not see city hall built at the chosen location.

“If city hall is moved a couple blocks away, we would have spots downtown,” he said. “We can solve parking downtown cheaper.”

He said he hasn’t spoken with a single person who wants a parking structure.

“I represent those people who say ‘no,’” he said.

Bill Kahle said there are possible parking solutions that haven’t been explored, such as opening up bank parking lots after business hours.

“I’m not resigned to the fact we need a structure — yet,” he said.

“We’ve been told we have to build a structure,” Kahle said. “We have a parking structure expert giving us this information. What did we think they were going to say?”

Richard Hildner was the lone councilor clearly in favor of a structure.

“We gave a pass to structured parking at Second and Spokane — we can’t afford to give another pass,” Hildner said. “This site is the logical place in order to maintain the downtown core and increase opportunities for more commercial development.”

In public comment, Turner Askew said the city should rethink its plans.

“This is not what taxpayers want,” he said. “There are other ways to solve our needs.”

City Hall Steering Committee member George Gardner contends city hall should stand alone and questioned the massing of the proposed parking structure.

“It’s just too big,” he said. “Landscaping is important. Their plan dedicates zero landscaping for a huge building.”

Former mayor Mike Jenson said the city should focus on purchasing properties around downtown for future parking lots.

“It’s shortsighted to spend everything on the immediate needs,” he said.

Rhonda Fitzgerald cited the downtown master plan that names a parking structure as the city’s No. 1 catalyst project.

“We kicked the can on Second and Spokane,” she said. “I hope we don’t do it again.”