No deal on Karrow connector

Council passed on a possible first step to an east-west connector route between U.S. 93 South and Karrow Avenue when they opted to let a buy-sell agreement for the Master Plumbing building expire at their April 2 meeting.

The city had worked for the past few months on the possible acquisition of the land at 1860 Baker Avenue. Glacier Bank currently owns the property following foreclosure.

The city signed a buy-sell agreement for $643,000, which is to expire on April 17. Tax increment finance funds were proposed to finance the purchase.

Long-range plans with the property envisioned a connector road from U.S. 93 South beginning at the Mountain Mall all the way to Karrow Avenue. From the mall, Commerce Street goes west and dead ends at the Master Plumbing building. The city proposed removing the buildings and continuing a connector route to Karrow.

Currently there is no east-west connector from U.S. 93 South to Karrow. Seventh Street West runs between Baker Avenue and Karrow. Long-range plans have suggested a bridge across the Whitefish River at Seventh Street, although that project is often described as unlikely.

“The lack of networking in Whitefish is a huge challenge,” Whitefish public works director John Wilson said. “We have very few opportunities to improve on that and the [Master Plumbing purchase] is one of them.”

Wilson said he appreciates the quiet Karrow neighborhood as it is now, but when town grows there will be a need for this type of connector road.

Construction of the entire connector road was estimated to cost more than $3 million.

It was suggested the city could subdivide the Master Plumbing parcel after building the road and then resell the remaining land. It was estimated that the city could reclaim $500,000 of the investment within eight years.

Councilman Phil Mitchell agreed that an east-west connector is important, but he wasn’t convinced this was the best route. He also wasn’t interested in using TIF funds.

It was suggested that extending Highway 40 to the west as a connector could be an option, but city manager Chuck Stearns said that would create more of a bypass around the city. A connector at Commerce Street would dump traffic at the mall, he said, and create economic activity.

Mayor John Muhlfeld had concerns about the connector route, but noted that at some point the city needs to look at long-term planning.

“We’re not only tasked with next two to four years, but also the long term,” he said. “We have to think 20-50 years down the road and plan accordingly.”

John Anderson moved to let the buy-sell expire, citing an obvious lack of support for the idea.