Townhouses planned for vacant O'Brien lots

Five new townhouses are set to be built at vacant lots on O’Brien Avenue in Whitefish.

Developer Greg Eaton of EDM Development has been given approval to build the two-story five-plex on the lots at 221 and 223 O’Brien Avenue.

The property is zoned WB3, which allows multi-family buildings with a conditional use permit. City Council unanimously approved the permit at its July 7 meeting.

The townhouses will be served by a driveway along the south side of the lot that will connect O’Brien and the alley to the east. Each unit will have a single car garage and driveway with an additional parking space.

Renderings show balconies on each unit that face north toward Big Mountain. The unit on the west side of the building has a porch with a covered entryway fronting O’Brien Avenue.

A landscaping plan will be required and existing healthy trees are to be incorporated into the design. A new sidewalk will lead to Second Street.

“This five unit building is ideal in its massing and scale to the surrounding neighborhood,” Eaton noted in his application with the city. “The architectural detailing and elements lend itself to enhancing the currently neighborhood character as well.”