Volume of comments pushes planning board decision on large housing project

After hearing three hours of public comment regarding a proposed development with more than 300 housing units at the south end of Big Mountain Road, the Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday chose to delay a decision on the project until its November meeting.

Arim Mountain Gateway LLC is requesting a planned unit development that would allow for the construction of 318 housing units on 32.7 acres on the north side of Big Mountain Road and East Lakeshore Drive intersection. The developer is also requesting conditional zoning for the project known as Mountain Gateway to allow for a commercial portion at the northeast corner of the intersection.

City Councilor and planning board member Frank Sweeney said it was important for folks to be able to provide comments and the board not be rushed in making a decision.

“This board wants to take care that we can receive and hear all the comments,” he said.

Council chambers were full with folks spilling out into the hall Thursday for the planning board meeting and about 160 people logged in online for the meeting. Ahead of the meeting, about 400 letters and emails were submitted to the city regarding the project with planning staff classifying those as mostly not in favor of the project.

During public comment, those speaking against the project said it doesn’t fit the neighborhood, is too dense, would exacerbate traffic congestion in the area and the 32 units proposed as deed-restricted affordable housing just isn’t enough. While the few who spoke in favor of the project said it would provide necessary housing for the community.

Connie Johnson told the planning board she came to Whitefish for the small-town character.

“This will destroy the quality of life,” she said of the proposed project.

Several comments from community members said the decision is about more than this project, but about future developments in the town.

“I believe that the decision on this development will be the final line drawn in the sand that will dictate if we, Whitefish, will stay rural or if we will become the next megaresort,” Lauren Macdonald told the board.

A handful of folks did advocate for approval of the project saying it would add necessary housing for the community.

Ben Johnson said the project is a solution to creating housing.

“If not here, then where,” he said. “If this doesn’t happen it closes the door on valuable housing for our workforce on property that will become luxury homes.”

Nathan Dugan too said the project would provide needed housing.

“If the developers are not allowed to build in the manner that they have proposed, they will almost certainly fill the space with expensive homes as they already have much of the zoning in place to do,” he said.

The Planning Board meets next on Nov. 18, and will again take comments on the project at the meeting.

THE DEVELOPERS say the goal of the project is to meet the needs of the “missing middle” by providing rental housing for those who can’t afford to buy and can’t find a place to rent.

James Barnett, the lead developer on the project, said he understands that growth is hard to accept, but the project is aimed at providing housing for people with a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds.

“I do believe strongly that those who are desiring to rent should be able to,” he said. “There is a housing crisis and businesses can’t find employees.”

Developers pointed to the city’s growth policy and Wisconsin Avenue corridor plan as designating the area for housing.

Mike Brodie, with WGM Group representing the developers, said the development was tailored to those city plans.

“This is nearby for those working at jobs on the mountain, the Lodge at Whitefish Lake and at Iron Horse,” he said. “This is providing housing for our teachers and firefighters. This is housing so that we don’t have to say people have to live out of town.”

The plan for the project on the west side of Big Mountain Road proposes a 270-unit rental community with 460 parking spaces. Two buildings with common open space are proposed to be clustered in the center of the property.

On the east side of Big Mountain Road, the project proposes 24 condo units at the north end and 24 townhouse units in the central portion with access off Big Mountain Road.

At the northeast corner of the intersection, the developer is proposing a neighborhood commercial development with access off East Lakeshore Drive. Related to this, the developer has requested conditional zoning to rezone the property into blended zoning.

The proposed gross density of the site, at 9.72 dwelling units per acre, is below the 12.4 dwellings per acre that by right could be developed there with a PUD.

ONE OF THE major sticking points for many who spoke against the project was the impact it would have on traffic at an already busy intersection and into town on Wisconsin Avenue.

The developer’s traffic study found that the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive and Big Mountain Road would fail whether or not the project is built, but a new roundabout proposed by the developer for the intersection would improve the function of the intersection. But because Big Mountain road is a state road, the Montana Department of Transportation would decide what type of traffic device would be installed at the intersection.

Nick Polumbus, with Whitefish Mountain Resort, asked for denial of the project based upon its impact to traffic along Big Mountain Road that already becomes overburdened especially on powder days.

“I’d like to see a study done on traffic and see what’s the best way to deal with that intersection,” he said. “We’re not against development and we need housing for our workers, but we need to look at traffic.”

Tessa Pitman said she supports affordable housing, but the infrastructure isn’t in place to support the traffic from the development.

“This is going to increase traffic and the safety issues on the road,” she said.

THE PLAN on the west side calls for two vehicle access points that would be via Big Mountain Road and one would be on East Lakeshore Drive near the north end of the project to access the apartments.

There is proposed to be 8.85 acres of open space with two acres developed and the remaining left in its natural state.

A trail would run along the west side of Big Mountain Road connecting to the existing Wisconsin Avenue bike path on the south end.

On the east side of Big Mountain Road, a new internal street would also be constructed connecting East Lakeshore Drive to Big Mountain.

This area would include about 2 acres of open space with less than a half-acre developed.

THE DEVELOPER is voluntarily participating in the city’s Legacy Homes Program providing 32 deed-restricted affordable rental units. The developer says rent for those affordable units would range from $745 per month for a studio apartment to $1,277 for a two-bedroom apartment, depending on income.

The city currently has 49 rental units in its affordable housing program with the Whitefish Housing Authority.

For the commercial section, the developer is asking that permitted uses include a home daycare, financial institutions and professional services, private and commercial recreation facilities, professional offices, public utility buildings, parks and playgrounds, multifamily residential, restaurants, retail sales and services and vendors. Conditionally permitted uses would include bars/lounges, daycare centers, microbreweries and microdistilleries and schools.

On the east side of Big Mountain Road, the developer has set aside a location for a SNOW bus stop. On the west side of Big Mountain Road, the plans call for dedicating 1.5 acres for a future fire station.

By providing the housing and the land for the fire station, the developer is seeking a zoning deviation that would allow for four stories within the 40-foot building height limit for portions of the multi-family buildings. The standard is three stories.

Those involved in the project in addition to James Barnett, include Will MacDonald; Craig Denman of Denman Construction; Sean Averill of Averill Hospitality, which owns the Firebrand and The Lodge at Whitefish Lake; and Matthew Fritter of American Residential Investment Management.

The land is owned by Joe Gregory, who also owns the Krummholz Lodge.