Planning board OKs full bar in Firebrand

The Whitefish Planning Board on Oct. 19 gave a positive recommendation to a request from the Firebrand Hotel to operate a full bar inside the hotel.

The Firebrand is seeking a conditional use permit to operate with a full liquor license.

Brian Averill, one of the hotel’s owners, said the hotel is looking to add a full liquor license because it has become a necessary part of operating the “boutique, higher-end” hotel.

“One of the things that goes along with higher end is a liquor license,” Averill said. “That’s been our main guest request, to really embrace the full potential of the hotel that’s what we need to do.”

One of the conditions of approval as recommended by city planning staff was to prohibit the operation of the bar on the rooftop.

The Planning Board decided it wanted to take it a step further and amended the condition to say that “no bar temporary or permanent can be located on the rooftop patio.”

“I don’t think having a full license will change the business too much,” Planning Board member Rebecca Norton said. “I would like to add that condition that will strengthen the compliance of no rooftop bar.”

Averill said the hotel didn’t intend to operate a bar on the rooftop patio.

“It’s an appropriate use for a guest to take a drink up on the roof, but it’s not an appropriate place for a bar,” Averill said.

Planning Director Dave Taylor said the planning department’s condition on the CUP was intended to limit what is allowed on the rooftop.

“The rooftop can have a patio, but no other entertainment or music uses,” he said. “That doesn’t preclude someone bringing a drink onto roof, but we don’t want a bar on the roof.”

The hotel was granted a CUP in 2015 to operate at its location. It currently includes a restaurant and lounge with a beer and wine licenses, but would like to operate with an all-beverage license in its restaurant and lounge.

Whitefish City Council last year approved the operation of a rooftop hot tub at the downtown hotel as an amendment to the hotel’s CUP. The OK came after objections from neighbors who said the change would increase the noise coming from the hotel creating a disturbance to the residential area to the east of the building.

City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter at its Nov. 20 meeting.