WHITEFISH – A steering committee presented its final draft of the Highway 93 West Corridor Land Use Plan to the Whitefish Planning Board last week, providing a roadmap of future land uses on the city’s gateway entrance from the west.
The land-use plan is designed to steer future growth along the busy corridor, which is in its third phase of a road-widening project to build infrastructure and make badly needed improvements, including a new bridge spanning the Whitefish River.
“We came away in the end voting in favor of this plan,” Doug Reed, chair of the corridor plan’s steering committee and owner of the Whitefish Lake restaurant at the Whitefish Golf Club, told board members.
Because the highway improvements will significantly reshape the corridor, city officials have been working to develop a sufficient land-use plan for an area that consists of a mixture of zoning designations, including suburban residential, resort residential, resort business, low density residential and high density residential. The zoning switches to commercial after the highway crosses the Whitefish River and enters downtown.
The city of Whitefish contracted with WGM Group to prepare the corridor plan, focusing on future land use for Highway 93 West after it became clear that the existing highway could not accommodate the city’s growth. The two-lane highway, originally constructed in 1936, has experienced a major uptick in traffic volume due to growth and development.
Other major improvements to infrastructure include re-grading the highway to improve motorists’ sight distance, construction of a new storm drain system, replacing sewer and water lines, relocating overhead utility lines, building new curbs, gutters and medians and installing a new sidewalk and a multi-use path.
Expansion of the corridor will draw new businesses and increase interest in commercial development, raising concerns from some nearby residents and business owners.
The 1.5-mile corridor begins at the west side of the Whitefish Veteran’s Bridge and extends 700 feet west of Mountainside Drive.
It is peppered with recreational interests, including the Whitefish Golf Course, Grouse Mountain Park and the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park, which is under development and includes plans for a sledding hill and event space.
There are several buildings within the corridor with historical significance.
The steering committee will make a recommendation to the Whitefish City Council for approval of the corridor plan, which would become an amendment to the city’s growth policy.
In 2007, the city’s growth policy recommended a corridor plan be developed for the corridor with specific goals and recommended actions for the area that consider land use, scale, transportation, landscaping, urban design, and commercial development.