Revised project looks to create affordable workforce housing
Hoping the project will create some of the needed affordable housing for the city, the Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday recommended approval for an expansion to the former Deer Creek condominiums off JP Road.
The board voted unanimously in favor of Mark Panasiddi's proposal for the 53-lot subdivision, to be called Alta Views.
Panasiddi is looking to reduce the scope of the original subdivision, approved in 2005, into a 53-lot townhouse subdivision through a remodel building permit. The existing 29 condos would be converted into townhouses, and 127 new townhouses would be built.
Ten affordable housing units would be included in accordance with the city's Strategic Housing Plan, and developers said the remaining units will fit in a price range they also consider to be “workforce affordable.”
“The only way to create some type of workforce housing is to create a townhome,” Panasiddi said. “The existing condominium plan that's in place, this is one reason it hasn't been built. You can't get enough people to qualify for condominium financing.”
City Council in 2005 approved the Deer Creek at Whitefish project, which resulted in infrastructure and 29 condominium units being constructed in 2007. However, the city issued a letter to the developer stating that until an agreement with the Whitefish Housing Authority was reached to include 10 affordable housing unit, no more building permits would be issued. Since then, no more progress has been made.
New board member John Middleton said this project helps address Whitefish's needs while finishing what was started in the empty lot.
“I'm excited about the 10 affordable housing units. I think that's something everyone obviously knows there's been a dire need for in Whitefish for years, and it seems that the adoption of the strategic plan is going to help expedite facilitating those types of things,” Middleton said. “This has sat empty for a long time and we really haven't seen values for the existing product in that neighborhood go up, so based on how this looks how the densities are a little bit lower, more open space, I really think this appears on the surface to actually benefit everyone in the neighborhood and I enthusiastically support it.”
Changes from the old project include smaller buildings, reduced density, road changes and an increase in open space areas.
“Everyone kind of told me I was off my rocker to even try and do this, but I think it's worth a shot and it's worth continuing on because we can create some workforce housing that's affordable here,” Panasiddi told the board.
Right now each of the original 29 condos are individually owned. The hurdle, after getting approval from the Planning Board and City Council, is getting the existing condo owners to come together and agree to reclassifying their condos as townhomes.
Architect Ken Huff said no matter what direction they take, the original project is dead in the water, but this new townhouse subdivision can make the most out of the already installed infrastructure on the site.
“This isn't some farmer's field out there that we're just mowing down and putting houses on,”he said. “This is a problem. It's unfinished. There's weeds, there's squatters, there's random trailers there. We're looking at this as an opportunity to do this right.”
During public comment, Lee Calhoun, a Silverleaf Drive resident, said he has concerns about what the developers are doing with open space.
The proposal includes 30 percent of the project in open space area, about 5.55 acres, split between a larger central location and smaller pockets throughout.
“Maybe there's different definitions of open space than what comes to my mind, but breaking open space up into little tiny pieces — it seems to me that it ceases to be open space,” Calhoun said.
The project will go before City Council on Feb. 20.