Council reviews traffic impacts of proposed gateway development
An overview of the proposed Alpine 93/40 development south of Whitefish.
The developer of a proposed mixed-use apartment complex at Whitefish’s south gateway met with Whitefish City Council Oct. 16 to review potential impacts to traffic and a nearby neighborhood.
The Alpine 93/40 project is located on about 10 acres east of U.S. 93 and south of Montana 40. The development agreement proposes 210 residential apartment units and no more than 15,000 square feet of commercial space. Some of the units would be deed-restricted affordable housing.
When the project came to council for annexation and a zone change Oct. 2, uncertainty over the potential commercial uses that would be allowed caused the council to postpone a decision. The work session gave both parties, as well as the public, an opportunity to clarify some cloudy issues.
According to a traffic study prepared by Amblin Traffic Services, at full build-out the development will produce up to 2,031 daily vehicle trips and as proposed, the development will not create any new roadway capacity issues in the area.
Further, the report says existing level-of-service problems at the intersection of U.S. 93 and Hospital Way will not be significantly affected. The developer said the north end of the development will feature a right-out, right-in configuration and the south side has elements that make turning left into the complex from Emerald Drive unappealing.
The developers are also investigating a study to get the speed limit lowered on U.S. 93 as drivers come north over the hill.
“It does seem like it's time for that intersection to be dealt with in a more significant way, especially if we’re going to have more density around there,” said councilman Steve Qunell.
The steep grade on Emerald Drive would also be regraded to be less harrowing in icy conditions.
The study said that while 20% of the projected traffic from the site will likely travel to and from
the east on Highway 40, only 5% or less of this traffic would be expected to use Emerald Drive to the east of the project site.
During the public comment period, Britt Cooper, resident of Emerald Heights, said while he was not critical of the project he does have some concerns about the amount of traffic that will be generated.
“It’s our road and 5% … that’s ridiculous. It's gonna be a 50% increase on Emerald Drive,” Cooper said. “As homeowners on Emerald Drive … we’re seriously looking into gating our community.”
It was unclear previously about how new legislation, Senate Bill 245, changes what uses the developer is able to use in the WBT zone. Councilman Ben Davis summed it up by saying that previous conditional uses are now build-by-right.
The development team provided a list of uses to the council with several scratched out, signifying they are not interested in pursuing those uses. The development agreement currently says “commercial use(s) must conform to the use categories provided for in the WBT zoning district.”
The developer is recommending a wooden fence between the property and the Emerald Heights neighborhood and said that as the fenceline moves in and out, the jogs would encroach on the development’s property, not the neighborhood's.
Valner said the idea is not only to save as many trees but to provide the privacy and security that everybody wants.
“We're happy to go as tall as you would like,” a member of the development team said at the work session. “If you did it as a concrete wall you are going to have footings and excavation and it will start to kill the trees. We want to keep as many trees as we can.”
Valner said he would consider eliminating 70 parking stalls to provide more of a buffer between their property and the Emerald Heights neighborhood.
Currently, 10% of the units will be deed restricted for people in the 50-80% AMI. Quell asked if they would consider making 10% of the units for people in the 100-125 AMI range and Valner said he would be happy to look at that possibility.
Developer Alberto Valner said he is interested in offering the units to every restaurant and community group before offering them on the open market. He was also willing to offer a recycling facility along with the trash enclosures.
“We are more than happy to put all this in the development agreement and recognize that the development agreement belongs with the land,” Valner said.
The annexation and zone change for this property will be on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Nov. 6.