Not good for Whitefish

This letter-to-the-editor contains comments against the proposed development called The Banks of Whitefish to accompany the issues I voiced before voting against the project. Three other Whitefish City-County Planning Board members, including the chairman, voted against the project.

The Banks was accurately presented as a “dense project that will be similar to a downtown development in a big city urban setting.” Whitefish is a small town. Our task as city leaders is to improve the town’s infrastructure, traffic and parking, while retaining the unique quaintness, so attractive to both citizens and tourists.

In just over two acres, The Banks development plans 51 homes/townhouses. Many of the 30 townhouses planned are three-story, four-unit buildings, and 45 feet high. (The current height limit in Whitefish is 35 feet.)

The density of the project will create a huge traffic problem in and around the development. In The Banks plan, there is little or no room between or in front of the townhouses for parking. Interior roadways are 28 feet, allowing no curbside parking for owners/guests/service people.

With no driveways and with garages directly abutting the streets, residents will be forced to park on the streets for short/long periods. This will pose a safety problem for fire trucks, garbage trucks, and service and delivery vehicles. This will be a hazard to all traffic accessing this overly dense project.

The density, the variance to the current height limits, the narrow roadways and lack of parking all warrant a no vote on this excessive project. However, there are additional concerns:

1) Approach into town on U.S. 93. The beautiful pines and riverside willows should all be retrained. These are old growth trees and provide invaluable beauty and free streetscape to our town.

Right now the city is asking citizens to support an expensive new downtown city-scape. The grounds of our old community hospital site have continually provided a lovely entry into our city without new costs to our over taxed citizens.

2) Environmentally, the wetlands and the trees along the river should be maintained unchanged to preserve and conserve the wetlands, the river and the wildlife we hold dear.

3) With the results of traffic congestion, clear cutting of trees and the unsightliness of existing recent high-density buildings in evidence, the city council has the opportunity to be pro-active and stop The Banks project until Aspen Group brings forth a plan that addresses these concerns.

To the hardworking, concerned city council — consider these matters and say no until a plan comes before you for a development that reflects the character of the Whitefish we all love; a plan that will have adequate traffic flow, accessibility, reasonable density of housing and a reasonable parking plan. Please be heroes.

Scott Sorensen is a member of the Whitefish City-County Planning Board.