Anonymous buyer to purchase Independent High School building

An undisclosed buyer has put in an offer to purchase the Whitefish Independent High School building.

The Whitefish School District board Feb. 18 approved a buy-sell agreement for the purchase with a closing date of March 28. The purchase price is for $450,000.

The agreement is contingent upon the buyer obtaining city approval for apartments or affordable housing for the site, according to the district’s real estate agent Mike Anderson with National Parks Realty.

The school property is currently zoned as high density multi-family residential.

The district is selling the building, a former church on Park Avenue and Seventh Street, and will move the independent program into the new high school building when it opens this summer. The school district intends to continue housing students in the current building until the new school is open.

The buyer has agreed to lease the building back to the school district at no cost until it is ready to move out, Anderson said.

The sale of the independent school building has been identified as a way to help the district make up the $260,000 anticipated overage in the construction budget for the new high school.

A potential buyer was forced to withdraw their offer on the building last fall after failing to obtain city approval for their plans for the site. Hurraw! lip balm wanted to operate its light manufacturing business there, but city council denied a request for a conditional use permit for the business to operate as a home-based business in the location.