Planning board to look at revising standards for accessory dwelling units
Five public hearings are on the agenda for the Whitefish Planning Board meeting on Thursday, March 17 and solutions to the housing shortage are among the topics to be discussed. The board meets at 6 p.m. in the Whitefish City Council Chambers.
The City of Whitefish wants to amend the city code that addresses accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Staff says it would like to create new standards for ADUs, update the definition and modify the conditional uses in all residential zoning districts.
After the last regular monthly meeting of the planning board, they held a work session to digest recommendations from the Housing Steering Committee, directions from the Strategic Housing Plan and current regulations.
The resulting draft from the planning board includes the following changes to city code: permit detached and attached units, allow a nonconforming lot to have an ADU as long as all setbacks and standards are met, allow up to 800 square foot maximum and allow one to rent out both an ADU and the single-family home on one property.
Other ideas listed in the staff report include incentives for people who volunteer to deed restrict their accessory dwelling units and a change to the review process for all units. Deed-restricted units will be a permitted use and all other ADUs will need a conditional use permit.
Another matter for the board is a request to develop four single-family units on one lot at 444 Central Avenue. The area is currently zoned to allow for high-density, multi-family housing development. The 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, including the construction of four single-family condominium units in three detached buildings at the location. The 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 current zoning permits such up to 38 dwelling units per acre and this proposition is for 17 units per acre.
Patricia Johnson is requesting a conditional use permit to allow for an alternative learning K-12 school, called Foxtail, to operate above an existing restaurant on 33 East Second Street in the WB-3 zoning district. The current zoning allows institutional and cultural activities and requires a CUP for kindergarten through 12th grade schools.
Parking for pickup and dropoff could be a concern in that busy area of downtown, but the applicant is proposing some solutions for the board to consider.
Johnson said classes would be held Tuesdays through Thursdays and be indoors and outdoors. There would be 10 to 12 students per class. According to the staff report, the proposed use complies with the Whitefish Growth Policy, the building is adequate to serve the proposed use, and there are no environmental constraints.
The other two items on the board’s agenda include:
-Blake Ringeisen is requesting a conditional use permit for an accessory apartment over the garage at 708 Cottonwood Court.
-MOST Physical Therapy is applying for an extension of an existing CUP so they may expand into a new garage building behind the current business located at 576 Spokane Avenue.