At its Feb. 6 meeting, the Whitefish City Council will decide whether to approve a proposed parking lot in a residential neighborhood that has riled nearby residents.
Scott Elden of Montana Creative Architecture and Design is requesting a conditional-use permit on behalf of Greg Carter to build the private parking lot along the 300 block of Kalispell Avenue. Carter owns a nearby office building at 307 Spokane Ave. that houses various tenants, including his own Rocky Mountain Real Estate.
On Jan. 19, the Whitefish City-County Planning Board voted 5-3, with one member absent, to recommend the conditional-use permit for approval with 12 conditions. The city’s planning and building department “cautiously” recommended permit approval with the conditions, citing “concerns about the neighborhood compatibility of the project.”
Council will consider the issue on Feb. 6 at City Hall. The meeting begins at 7:10 p.m.
Carter plans for the lot to be used by his tenants, though it would be open to the public. There are currently 12 “unimproved” parking spots available to Carter’s tenants, Elden said. The proposal would expand the lot to 20 “improved” spaces, with expanded landscaping buffers and other conditions.
The area in question is zoned as a multi-family residential district, according to city planning documents, and rests on the edge of a commercial zone. Carter owns a house on the site. Elden said the house will be removed and donated for affordable housing purposes.
Nine people spoke in opposition to the lot at the Jan. 19 planning board meeting, according to the meeting’s minutes. Their statements echoed worries expressed in letters sent to the planning department. The complaints generally dealt with concerns over the lot degrading the neighborhood’s integrity and devaluing properties.
Specific worries included noise, traffic and the possibility of permit approval opening up the doors to future commercial development within residential neighborhoods. The 12 conditions outlined in planning documents are intended to address the concerns, as well as answer other design questions.
Five people spoke in favor, including tenants of Carter’s office building, according to the minutes. They cited the need for more parking, particularly with the site’s location near the downtown commercial district. Kevin Gartland, president of the chamber of commerce, was one of the proponents. The chamber is a tenant at Carter’s office building.
Elden and Carter both answered questions at the meeting, along with Johnny McDonald of White Cloud Design. McDonald is assisting in the design process along with Elden. Planning and Building Director Dave Taylor is heading up the planning process for the city.
In a later interview, Elden said the design team is working to incorporate the requested conditions into its plans. He notes that the parking lot is slated to have ample landscaping buffers, with 18 feet of landscaping on both the north and south sides and 25 feet on the east side.
Elden said he understands the concerns cited by neighbors and hopes to address them through the design process.
“That’s what I like about this process, is it allows public input,” Elden said. “Whenever you have to something like this that’s affecting a neighborhood, you’re going to have strong feelings. That’s why you have this process.”