Board takes on plan after comments focus on potential resort

The Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday will tackle the plan that outlines the future for development along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor.

The planning board held a public hearing on the matter last month, but after hearing extensive comment mostly around a potential resort development in the north end of the corridor on Whitefish Lake, the board chose to delay a decision until its March meeting.

During the February meeting, much of the public comments on the plan were related to potential plans for a lodge and resort residential development near the East Lakeshore and Big Mountain Road intersection. Joe Gregory, under Glacier Ranch Holdings, owns the property and came forward last spring with early plans for a resort residential development.

Some residents who live in the area told the planning board they’d like to see the area remain residential. However, folks representing the property’s owner asked that the future plans for the land be changed to accommodate potential development.

The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a final decision.

The Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan looks at how the corridor should develop over the next two decades.

The corridor boundary is from the Edgewood Place and Wisconsin Avenue intersection north of the viaduct down to the Houston Drive/Big Mountain Road intersection of East Lakeshore Drive. The boundary is generally one block off Wisconsin Avenue on either side, although some areas are larger or smaller depending on the adjacent land use or ownership.

During the steering committee’s work in drafting the plan, four areas were identified within the plan boundary that had the most likely chance for a major development due to the combination of consolidation of ownership and underutilized land use or possible blight, according to Planning Director Dave Taylor.

“Most of the input we received on this plan was concerning this section,” Taylor said.

Chief among those key areas is the Glacier Ranch Holdings property at the Big Mountain Road intersection. A draft concept plan showed a potential lodge and restaurant in the 10-acre lake lots with a small marina, as well as a conference center and member village on portions of the 56 acres on the north side of East Lakeshore Drive.

The steering committee opted to leave the future land use for the lake front properties in the plan as suburban residential after hearing multiple comments opposing a commercial development on the lake portion of the property. The committee also decided to leave the property on the north side of East Lakeshore as suburban residential and the plan notes that any future project “should be designed to reflect surrounding low-density suburban character,” though Gregory requested the 27 acres around the intersection to be changed to resort residential.

Kate McMahon, with Applied Communications was the lead consultant on the plan, said that residential areas in the corridor are transforming into commercial uses and that has been a concern for the residents who live there.

“People don’t want to see the over commercialization of the lake,” she said.

During public comment before the planning board in February, Ben Cavin, who lives on Houston Drive near the potential resort, asked the board to protect his neighborhood.

“It’s residential and I’d like to keep it that way,” he said. “I like the recommendation in the plan is to keep it that way.”

Bruce Lutz, of WGM Group, which is representing Glacier Ranch Holdings on the property, said the owner doesn’t have an issue with the plan’s designation as suburban residential along the lake, but asked that the plan be changed for the properties on the north side of East Lakeshore drive to resort residential rather than suburban residential.

“The underlying zoning is urban, so that’s a use by right,” he said. “To overlay with suburban residential, we don’t believe is valid. We would urge you to consider resort residential or a new designation for that area.”

Commenting on the plan, Turner Askew said a suburban residential designation for the property containing the potential resort development near the Big Mountain Road intersection would effectively prevent the property from being developed.

“Whitefish claims to want smart economic development then proceeds to adopt policy like this that seems designed to prevent them from taking place,” he said. “One of the key reasons for adopting the corridor plan is economic performance — allowing that property to develop as resort residential makes a lot of sense due its location and existing zoning.”

The Planning Board meets on March 15 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.