Board grants variance, provides three recommendations

The Whitefish Community Development Board approved a lakeshore variance and made three recommendations to the City Council last week. 

Mark Foder requested a variance to the front and lakeshore setbacks to build an attached, three-car garage with a second-floor residential unit at 1270 birch Point Drive.  

The addition will add nearly 3,000 square feet to the existing single-family home.  

No public comments were received and the board voted 4-3 to approve the request with board members Steve Qunell, Jon Heberling and Scott Wurster in opposition. 

Board chair Qunell said he would vote against the variance because, in his opinion, the request failed on two findings, that there is a limitation of the reasonable use of the property and a hardship peculiar to the property. 

Frank Sweeney, who was sitting in for Phil Boland, disagreed with Qunell’s analysis. He said the variance was not significant and was simply “a modernization of a very old home that’s been owned by the same family for a very long time.” 

THE BOARD voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to Devin Stus and the Modus America Corp for a second multi-family 12-plex structure at 718 Edgewood Place. 

The building is phase 2 of the development and the first 12-plex is already built on the property.  

The new building will contain 12 studio apartments and share parking and access with the Phase 1 building and the site will incorporate open space for residents. 

The applicant is not using any affordable housing incentives and is not providing any deed restricted workforce housing, according to the application. 

Two comments in support of the permit were submitted prior to the meeting. Nathan Dugan of Shelter WF spoke in favor of the building and noted that this project was made possible by a reduction in minimum parking requirements. 

"While I appreciate deed restricted affordable housing, I think there are a lot of people who maybe don’t qualify for deed restricted affordable housing and this creates that missing middle opportunity that we need more of in Whitefish,” added board member Mallory Phillips. 

This item was heard by the Whitefish City Council on March 3. 

THE BOARD ALSO voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for a full hotel bar at The Larch House, located at 304 East First St. 

The applicant, D.A. Fuller Jr. with Block 26 Partners, has a permit for a restaurant bar in the building which is under construction but needed the conditional use permit to utilize a full liquor license in a bar and lounge. 

The property is currently being developed with a series of detached hotel buildings. 

Although there is no parking requirement in the WB3 zone, the developer chose to work with the Public Works department to add angled parking along Railway Street. 

“It’ll increase the amount of public parking on Railway as well as on First Street,” City Planner David Taylor said. “Where it was parallel parking ... across the street from Soroptimists and next to the VFW, there will be angled parking on that section.” 

Staff recommended approval of the permit with five conditions, two of which addressed signage and outdoor speakers. There were no public comments. 

The City Council will hear the item on March 17. 

IN A BIT of housekeeping, the board recommended approval of a zone change to remove an expired planned unit development overlay from 38 Central Avenue. 

The city of Whitefish requested the zone change because the development of a hotel at the location expired and the property is now home to a food truck court which obtained a conditional use permit in March 2024. 

This item was heard by the Whitefish City Council on March 3.