Business rezone, increased units, residential change top planning board
The Whitefish Planning Board has four public hearings scheduled for its Thursday, Oct. 18 meeting.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
- A request to amend the Whitefish zoning map to add a half acre that includes the Commerce Street Condos on Baker Avenue from industrial to industrial and secondary business with conditions zoning district. The proposed zoning change, requested by Amy Ericksen, would allow for the property to have a range of available future uses which are compatible with the existing industrial area as well as the adjacent secondary business district zoning, according to the planning department staff report.
The owner of two industrial condo units at 1820 Baker Avenue recently purchased their property unaware that their planned use of selling refurbished furniture would not be permitted with the existing industrial zoning. The owners of the other on-site condo have provided consent to the rezone.
The conditional zoning will remove the majority of the permitted industrial uses while adding several uses from the adjacent secondary business zoning district on the other side of Baker Avenue. Conditional zoning allows an applicant to rezone a transitional property into a blended zone that offers restrictions on development requirements and future uses in exchange for the inclusion of some uses allowed in an adjacent zone, according to the planning department.
Planning staff has recommended approval of the rezone.
- Michael Morton of Mkay is requesting to amend the 2016 planned unit development overlay for lot 16 of the Riverview Meadows to increase the density by six units. The lot is currently approved for 18 units in three buildings, but the request is to increase what is allowed to construct 24 units in one building.
The property is on Akers Lane near the TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel. The subdivision was approved in 2016 as 17 lots, which includes 13 detached single-family homes along the Whitefish River, 10 attached townhouses fronting the Whitefish Avenue extension and 18 multi-family units east of the hotel to the west of the townhouses.
The proposal calls for constructing all the units in one building and providing one additional affordable apartment for a total of five in the building.
Planning staff is recommending approval.
- A request to rezone property on Skyles Place from limited business district to high density multi-family residential to implement the future land use map changes adopted as part of the Wisconsin Avenue Corridor Plan. James Atkinson, on behalf of Tom Carson, is seeking the zone change for the parcels involved that include commercial storage and auto repair, as well as, single and multi-family residences.
The existing lots have split zoning, so the proposed change looks to fix that issue, according to the staff report. The intent of the rezoning is to facilitate future re-development of the parcels to multi-family residential workforce housing, which would not be permitted in the current zoning.
Planning staff is recommending approval.
- A request for a conditional use permit to construct an accessory apartment in a at 718 W. Third Street, which is currently undeveloped. The owner intends to construct a home and garage, which will include the attached proposed accessory apartment.
Planning staff is recommending approval.