Visioning sessions for growth policy update

Whitefish is hosting two community visioning sessions Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 upstairs in the City Council Chambers in City Hall from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for the members of the community to visualize what they would like Whitefish to be like in twenty years,” said Whitefish Planning Director David Taylor. “We hope everyone who is interested in the quality of life of Whitefish going forward can choose the night that works best for them and attend one of the two identical sessions.”

According to the city, visioning forms the foundation of the growth policy and is the process by which the community visualizes a mental picture of the city and how it should look in the future. The visioning process includes working together to recognize shared values and define what makes Whitefish special and how to protect its valuable assets. 

There will be a discussion about community character as well as city assets and opportunities. It will include questions and polls answered using mobile devices, as well as mapping exercises and the creation of draft vision statements for the community to help guide the growth policy process. 

The city last did a comprehensive update of its growth policy in 2007. This update, called Vision Whitefish 2045, is anticipated to take several years, with this being the first of several visioning sessions on different topics.

Whitefish City Hall is located at 418 East Second Street in Whitefish. The city will also provide an opportunity to answer the questions online at www.engagewhitefish.com for those that can’t make one of the visioning sessions. For more information contact long range planner Alan Tiefenbach at atiefenbach@cityofwhitefish.org or 406-863-2413.