City leases vacant lot for parking

Commuters can expect a bit of relief from Whitefish’s downtown parking congestion as soon as this spring.

Whitefish City Council unanimously approved an agreement with Whitefish Frontiers to lease five vacant lots on the corner of Central Avenue and First Street to be used as a temporary parking lot.

The lots will be rented to the city for two years beginning in April at a cost of $1 per year. The city will invest about $17,000 to improve the lots for parking, which will come out of tax increment finance funds.

“I think it’s a pretty minor investment for TIF,” said city manager Chuck Stearns.

About 35 public parking spaces are planned for the lot. A landscaped berm will run along Central and First Street. Stearns said the lot could be open as soon as May.

Either the city or Whitefish Frontiers can terminate the lease agreement with 90 days notice.

“We’re going to invest $17,000 but it could be gone in 90 days,” councilor Frank Sweeney pointed out. “We need to take that into account.”

Last year there was discussion about the possibility of a boutique hotel or some other building going up at Whitefish Frontiers’ vacant lot, but those talks have quieted.

Since then, the Averill family has proposed building a hotel on a city-owned parking lot at Third Street and Central Avenue. Those discussions are ongoing.