Neighbors protest commercial growth on Baker Avenue

Whitefish Pilot

A request by Jill Zignego for a conditional-use permit to operate a professional office at the corner of Baker Avenue and Seventh Street drew strong opposition by neighbors at the May 21 Whitefish City-County Planning Board meeting.

Many of the neighbors’ objections concerned traffic hazards, particularly for children in the area — a problem they said already exists and will only be made worse by Zignego’s commercial use of the site.

Pointing out that Baker Avenue has been identified as a part of the future U.S. Highway 93 couplet system, which depends on construction of a new bridge over the Whitefish River at Seventh Street, public works director John Wilson advised against providing Zignego a driveway on Baker and called for accessing parking through the alley.

Brian and Lindsay Schott, however, said this would establish a precedent allowing commercial use to encroach on a residential neighborhood. They also objected to the zoning text amendment approved by the city council last year that allows professional offices along Baker Avenue in that area.

Brian Schott noted that the city’s growth policy referred to an oversupply of commercial property, and he called the Seventh Street bridge “a dream” that’s too expensive to build and shouldn’t even be considered.

Lindsay Schott said Seventh and Eighth streets “were getting dumped on” for traffic, and she said Zignego’s office will have more traffic than was stated. The text amendment should be repealed, she said.

Donnie Clapp said he wasn’t sure if he was opposed to Zignego’s request, but he wanted to know how Wilson could think a driveway on Baker Avenue was not a good idea but a commercial use was.

City planner Nikki Bond noted that the WR-2 zoning on Zignego’s two lots could generate 20 trips per day with two homes, while a single professional office would generate 12.3 trips. She also noted that under the current zoning, if Zignego lived in the house, she could operate a professional office without a permit.

The city has underlying zoning that most people are unaware of, board chairman Steve Qunell said. He noted that only one person addressed the board about the text amendment last year, “and now we have a mess.”

If neighbors say traffic from the proposed office will endanger children, board member Greg Gunderson said, then he would oppose the request. He was unswayed by an amendment introduced by Qunell to erect “Children At Play” signs to warn drivers.

Board member Peggy Sue Amelon said she was frustrated that the board only hears the negative comments. She noted that Zignego would have more conditions than a resident.

After lengthy public comment, the board approved the request 4-3, with Qunell, Amelon, Karen Reeves and Ken Stein in favor, and Gunderson, Scott Sorensen and Kerry Crittenden opposed.

The city council will hold a public hearing on Zignego’s request on June 1.