Resort development planned for Whitefish Lake

Early plans for a potential new resort and residential development located on mostly undeveloped land near Big Mountain Road and the Houston Drive neighborhood have emerged.

The development is planned for three properties owned by Krummholz Lodge owner Joe Gregory — two lots adjacent to Big Mountain Road on the east and west sides of the road totaling almost 27 acres and an 11-acre lot south of East Lakeshore Drive.

BJ Grieve, senior planner for WGM Group, said a resort lodge would likely be located in the southern property, which includes 700 feet of lake frontage on Whitefish Lake. Along Big Mountain Road, resort residential properties would likely be located on the west property and ancillary or administrative buildings to the east, he noted.

Plans for the project are still in the early stages of the design process, according to Grieve.

Only a portion of the project is inside Whitefish city limits.

Grieve gave an introduction to the plan during the Feb. 14 Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan meeting. The city of Whitefish is currently in the process of creating the plan as a guide for how the corridor should develop in the future.

During the meeting, Grieve said most of the existing trees and forest would be retained as a buffer to minimize the visual impact of the development on the existing Houston Drive community.

The properties have been designated as “resort commercial” and “key development areas” in future land use maps by the Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan steering committee.

The lakefront properties south of East Lakeshore Drive total about 11 acres and are currently under Flathead County jurisdiction, while the land north of the road is a mix of 18 acres in the city and 8.7 acres outside city limits. There is no requirement to annex the lakefront properties to the south into the city, but any development that requires sewer service would also likely require annexation, Grieve noted.

“Joe is aware of concerns about protecting the water quality of Whitefish Lake and minimizing the visual impact of any development along the corridor to protect the character of the community that is so cherished by everyone,” Grieve said in an email.

The resort lodge would have multiple entryways and plans would likely include reworking the intersection of Big Mountain Road and East Lakeshore Drive into a roundabout to mitigate traffic at the junction.

Grieve emphasized that as of yet no concrete plans have been made and suggestions from neighbors are more than welcome.

“Yes, he wants to develop, but he's not a developer of ‘formula' stuff that Whitefish seeks to avoid,” Grieve said in an email. “That's why he's taking the time to actively participate with his neighbors in the Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan process and continually modifies his plans based on the sharing of information.”

However, some neighbors of the potential project have already expressed their displeasure with the idea.

JoAnn Horam lives in Calgary, Alberta, but owns a home in the Houston Drive neighborhood. Upon hearing word of the potential development, Horam drove south to Whitefish to attend the Feb. 14 corridor meeting and voice her concerns.

“It's shocking, I'll be quite frank,” she said. “I'm just very disappointed to think I'm going to be living next to a commercial place, probably akin to The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.”

“It will really impact the rural quality of this whole area,” she added.

Gregory splits his time between Tennessee and Whitefish, where he and his family maintain the Krummholz Lodge on Whitefish Lake and works with local groups such as ALERT, Potter's Field Ministries and the Whitefish Trail. The Gregory family also adopted Wisconsin Avenue as part of the Montana Adopt-A-Highway program last year.

More detailed plans for the development are expected to be presented at the March 14 Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan meeting. The committee meets the second Tuesday of the month at 3 p.m. The March 14 meeting will be in the conference room of the Firebrand Hotel.