Upscale hotel proposed for downtown Whitefish
Design plans for an upscale “mountain modern” hotel in downtown Whitefish have emerged as the project goes up for public review this month.
Whitefish Hotel Group, which includes local developer Sean Averill and his family, proposes to construct the three-story, 89-room hotel at a lot on the corner of Spokane Avenue and Second Street across from Whitefish Middle School. The site is commonly referred to as Block 46.
The Averills, who are owners-operators of The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, bought the Block 46 property earlier this year.
The developers are requesting a conditional use permit so the hotel can exceed the city’s 7,500 square-foot “big box” limit for downtown buildings. The property is zoned WB-3, which allows hotels as a conditional use.
The City Planning Board will review the project at its Dec. 18 meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Plans from Montana Creative and Design show the hotel with breaks in the roof line, two-story picture windows, and a mix of exterior finishes, including timber, brick and metal.
“Every effort has been taken to provide an architecturally appealing building that does not overwhelm surrounding buildings,” Sean Averill said in the permit application. “The use of creative exterior finishes and colors compliment the character of existing Whitefish buildings while introducing an upscale ‘mountain modern’ style.”
The building is to be set back 13 feet from Spokane Avenue to allow room for a future protected bike path.
Plans call for a parking lot with 67 spaces. Vehicle entrances to the property will be from an alley off Spokane Avenue and Kalispell Avenue, and Third Street.
The main entrance to the hotel lobby is proposed at the corner of Second and Spokane.
A patio with an outdoor dining area is planned for the northwest corner of the first floor. Plans also show a roof-top patio and kitchen.
An indoor pool, hot tub and fitness center are planned for the basement.
The developers say the project will benefit all downtown businesses by bringing in more visitors.
“[The hotel] adds a great new, modern destination hotel to a town we all love and respect and are excited to share with new and repeat visitors alike,” the developers said.
In May, Whitefish City Council made a preliminarily commitment to assist with infrastructure improvements for the hotel site by providing about $513,000 in tax-increment funds to help move a sewer line and with street improvements.
According to a city staff report, the hotel would generate $128,408 in tax-increment revenue annually. By the time the tax-increment finance district sunsets in 2020, the hotel would have generated $513,633 — the amount requested — in tax-increment revenue.
The 2006 downtown master plan names the construction of a boutique hotel as a “priority project.”
Over the last decade, a number of proposals for a downtown hotel have come and gone without success.
Last year, Orlan Sorenson of Landmark Builders proposed an 80-room hotel at the Block 46 site, but investors terminated plans following difficulty with financing the project.
In 2013, the Averills were in discussions with the city about building a hotel at the public parking lot on the corner of Third Street and Central Avenue. Those talks never gained traction.
The vacant lot at the corner of Central and First Street also has garnered speculation as a hotel site. At one point, developer Tom Donahue had planned to build a 40-60 room boutique hotel on the lot, but those plans never materialized.