Whitefish home construction stays on upward trend

Subdivisions that sat dormant for years are filling in with new homes at a steady pace this year as construction activity in Whitefish continues on an upward trend.

The city Planning and Building Department has been bustling with activity since spring. Permits for new single-family home are already ahead of last year and are at their highest level since 2006.

Through September, the city has processed 53 permits for new single-family homes, with October often one of the busiest months. That compares to 51 permits issued in all of 2012.

Whitefish Planning Director Dave Taylor notes that much of the uptick in new home construction is due to the second-house market, partially driven by Canadians and a strong oil economy north of the border.

He said Whitefish continues to be an appealing community, and that buying or building seem to be the primary opportunity since there are “extremely limited” rental properties available locally.

“We are also seeing a lot of entry-level homes being constructed, as well as quite a few significant remodels of existing homes,” Taylor added.

Nationwide, new housing starts have increased every year since they bottomed out in 2009.

“We are seeing that trend continue locally in 2013, and the planners I’ve talked to around the state say that the resort-oriented communities such as Big Sky, West Yellowstone and even Bozeman have been seeing significant increases in housing starts as well,” Taylor said. “We are anticipating this growth trend to continue through 2014 and beyond here in Whitefish.”

Local contractor Marc Daniels with Big Mountain Builders has witnessed the uptick firsthand. His business has been engrossed this summer with multiple projects — from starter homes in town to luxury lodges in Iron Horse.

In 2009, Daniels built only three homes all year. Now, he has four or five projects going at all times.

“I thought we were busy before, but now it’s almost overwhelming,” Daniels said.

“I can’t believe the amount of phone calls we are getting. It’s crazy busy right now.”

The building activity isn’t just in the city. Whitefish Mountain Resort is witnessing a small surge of new construction in the Northern Lights and The Glades subdivisions.

“We haven’t had any activity for some time and now we’re seeing new starts,” said marketing director Nick Polumbus.

As the economic downturn hit in 2009, the resort shifted its focus from real estate sales to resort operations. Polumbus said they’ll continue on that path, although they’re excited to see some building activity.

“We’re not in the land development game,” Polumbus said. “But [the uptick] shows a demand for what we have going at the resort. We’ve taken the attitude of focusing on the resort. If that drives real estate — great.”