Workforce housing project gets OK

Whitefish City Council Jan. 3 approved a plan that will provide seasonal workforce housing in the city.

The Reisch Family Partnership requested a conditional use permit to turn the former Whitefish Independent High School building on East Seventh Street into an eight-unit boarding house. The building would house up to 32 temporary workers, 16 in four rooms in the basement and another 16 in four rooms on the main floor. A permanent live-in manager would also have an apartment in the building.

Dale Reisch, owner of Montana Tap House, Alpine Market and Markus Foods, and Pat Carloss, owner of Tupelo Grille, are partnering on the project.

The plan for the project has been set out as a “dormitory-style living arrangement,” where four people share a unit and share common areas. The owners have said that tenants would have to follow a set of house rules, such as no alcohol or drug use.

“We know that we need to provide a good environment for those that are staying there,” Reisch said. “That will also create a good environment for the neighborhood.”

The City Planning Board originally asked that those house rules be incorporated into the conditions of the CUP. However, planning staff asked Council to remove the condition saying it would be impossible for the planning department to enforce such rules.

Council did retain a condition that a manager must reside on-site to enforce the rules of occupancy. Also, because the project was approved as a boarding house under city code, a condition was added that tenants would have to agree to a rental agreement of not less than 30 days.

“This project doesn’t exactly fit as a boarding house,” explained Senior Planner Wendy Compton-Ring. “But that’s the closest we have in the zoning. The rental agreements should keep the residential character of the neighborhood.”

Local business leaders and city officials both have identified for a number of years a serious shortage in affordable rentals for Whitefish’s workforce. A workforce housing study, created in a partnership with the city and Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, released last month showed that Whitefish needs almost 1,000 affordable housing units added to the city by 2020 to make up for current shortage and plan for future needs.

City Planning Director Dave Taylor said as more projects like the Reisch’s come forward the city may need to update the zoning code to allow for workforce housing projects. He said he expects to bring the item before the Planning Board.

“We may need to look at creating a new definition for workforce housing,” he said. “We would look at creating a CUP so the city can make sure it’s what we want.”