Whitefish should annex for housing — Not more commercial
Why is the Whitefish City Council being asked, by their planning staff, at their Feb. 21 City Council meeting, to approve the zoning and annexing of property just south of the intersection of Highway 40 and Highway 93 for more commercial development? This is an area much larger than downtown Whitefish. The commercial development proposed includes everything from Whitefish downtown-killers like more commercial retail, bars, hotels, and even more automotive, boat, and RV sales, as well as those lovely storage units that are starting to line the highway between Kalispell and Whitefish. Is this your vision of how Whitefish should grow? Sounds like classic sprawl to us.
In 2015 Kalispell had a different view for its highway corridor north of the City. They saw the need and potential for residential neighborhoods at their highway corridor entrance. So, they annexed the 325-acres of farmland just north of the city limits, right along Highway 93, and approved Sliverbrook Estates as a residential subdivision.
Today, Silverbrook includes a mixed price range of 285 single-family homes in its first phase that is getting close to being built out and a second phase to include 200 additional single-family homes and 90 townhomes. This housing development includes landscaped raised berms all along Highway 93 that shield the housing from the highway and its noise. It includes numerous park areas including tennis courts, basketball courts and walking paths winding throughout the neighborhood. It also has a central clubhouse with an outdoor pool and fitness center.
Further north of the single-family housing this area recently added the Hutton Ranch Apartments Subdivision, which will include four buildings with 96 apartment units, a parking lot with some covered parking, a clubhouse, pool, basketball court, barbecue area, gazebos and playground equipment.
One important take-away message from the denial of the Mountain Gateway’s proposed 318 units of housing and commercial development on 32.7 acres is that the Whitefish residents want housing that creates and respects neighborhoods. Neighborhoods with housing for a variety of price ranges including housing for the locals who work in Whitefish. A single 275-unit, four-story massive apartment complex surrounded by a sea of 500 parking spaces next to a long-established large-lot neighborhood should be a dead-on-arrival proposal going forward.
A second important take-away message from the largest ever outpouring of public comment in Whitefish over the proposed Mountain Gateway development is that sustainable workforce housing needs to be developed within well-designed neighborhoods with mixed price points. It’s time to plan for housing developments in Whitefish that recognize that workers don’t just need a room, they need and want neighborhoods too.
Silverbrook Estates is a success story for a neighborhood designed to fit along the Highway 93 corridor with a range of housing from single-family to multi-family. While the county, after the “donut” area lawsuit battle between the City of Whitefish and the county, chose to zone for commercial uses along Highway 93 just outside of Whitefish, it’s now time for both the city and the county to reach out and address the current need for housing in this location — NOT MORE COMMERCIAL.
The Whitefish City Council should send the proposed new commercial zoning, for the annexation of property along Hwy 93 into the city, back to the planning staff and ask that this area be reviewed with a fresh perspective focused on new neighborhoods and housing that can and will better sustain Whitefish into the future.
Mayre Flowers, Citizens for a Better Flathead