Central Avenue project gets the go-ahead

A development project that will replace an older building on Central Avenue with four single-family units was recently approved by the Whitefish City Council.

Flexibility and sensitivity to the community proved beneficial for Joel Roos of the Pacific Union Development Company which will soon begin construction of his project on 444 Central Avenue. Last week, the Whitefish City Council voted in favor of granting Roos a conditional use permit to build four single-family units on the corner of Central Avenue and Fifth Street.

The property is zoned WR-4 high density, multi-family residential district and the Whitefish Growth Policy considers this lot to be “high density residential.”

The final design consists of two attached units along Central Avenue and two smaller units along the alley with access to all units from the alley, according to the staff report. The buildings have low walls on the third level for an attic-sized look and they feature a central staircase alongside multiple windows.

In order to create a design that was a better fit for the neighborhood, the developer spent time with the neighbors, listened to their concerns and went back to the drawing board. When presenting the revisions at the March 21 council meeting, both developer Roos and architect, Jeremy Oury said the pushback from the community helped make a better plan.

Roos earned accolades from the neighbors, council and from interested citizens for his ability to work well with others but the project still elicited a feeling of loss over the building that will be removed.

Roos’ proposal was discussed at the planning board meeting in February when neighbors voiced concerns regarding mass and bulk. The applicant presented revised plans for consideration at the March board meeting and they were well received even though the buildings are still nearly three stories high and will be the largest buildings in the area.

Councilor Giuseppe Caltabiano said that when the planning board had some concerns about the design the first time they saw it, the applicant “worked in complete cooperation with the city. There is a great sense of goodwill by the applicant.”

After the initial plan was presented, the neighborhood had concerns about the size, scale and mass of the project. The neighbors found the second version of the plan acceptable, in part, because it featured three individual structures rather than four and the height of the buildings had been reduced by five feet.

“The neighbors were originally quite concerned because the building was even taller and even more massive and this (revised plan) is a huge improvement… the applicants met with several representatives of the neighborhood and worked (it) out,” Whitefish resident Rhonda Fitzgerald remarked. “They have been great to work with and very responsive but we continue to be very concerned about the materials and the final outcome.”

While the neighbors are still concerned about the materials that will be used, especially brick, Oury said he is aware of the historic elements of the area and aims to use materials that fit. Eventually, the architectural board will address the issue.

Most who spoke at the meeting acknowledged the disparate elements of this development – appreciation for a developer who took the thoughts and feelings of the neighbors into consideration and grief over the loss of affordable housing units in a town where the housing situation is bleak.

Councilor Ben Davis thanked the applicant for working with the neighbors.

“That’s more than we often see up here and I think that's a great approach to take,” he said. “I do feel a little sad to see six affordable units go although I do know redevelopment is inevitable.”

The mint-green building that currently sits on the lot houses six apartments. The applicant is allowing the tenants to remain rent-free until May. Affordable housing advocate Nathan Dugan participated in the meeting and conceded, “That was a pretty decent thing to do.”

“This is another six rentals that we’re losing from our local rental stock,” Dugan added. “It’s another minus six into the rental supply in Whitefish with not a lot currently going on to replace that.”

While the city continues to discuss the problem and to find solutions, the housing shortage in Whitefish continues and the loss of these apartments stings.

“This was six very affordable apartments and it will be four, probably, vacation homes,” Fitzgerald concluded.