Whitefish board rejects Fresh Life project

After more than three hours of passionate testimony from both supporters and opponents, the Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday unanimously voted to recommend denial of a conditional-use permit sought by Fresh Life Church to build a mixed-use church and retail building in downtown Whitefish.

The proposal now goes to the Whitefish City Council for final consideration on Feb. 20.

Roughly 120 people packed Whitefish City Hall for the public hearing. Many spoke against the church’s proposal, citing parking and neighborhood compatibility as the biggest concerns. The mixed-use building is planned at 334 Central Ave. where Lakestream Fly Shop operated in a century-old home that was converted to business use decades ago.

Fresh Life representatives presented an updated plan and architectural rendering, and promised to work with neighbors and the nearby First Presbyterian Church on parking issues. Church officials also said they intend to sell the 4,500 square feet of planned retail space to independent buyers to help finance the church project.

The church has had a presence in Whitefish for many years, meeting at Casey’s and the Whitefish Middle School. Fresh Life expects to serve about 150 people and hold two Sunday morning services.

A conditional-use permit is required for buildings with a footprint greater than 7,500 square feet in the downtown district. The Fresh Life building would be close to 11,000 square feet.

Zoning in Whitefish’s Old Town Central District doesn’t allow a church at ground level, but Fresh Life plans to build a split-level church to get around that requirement, and also intends to build the two-story church at the back of the three long, narrow lots.

The split-level proposal didn’t sit well with both community members and the Planning Board.

Board member John Ellis called the split-level plan a “sleight of hand” to get around a zoning requirement. Board chair Steve Qunell added a finding of fact that stipulates a split-level plan does not meet the requirement of a church not being on the ground floor.

Rhonda Fitzgerald, vice chair of the Heart of Whitefish downtown group, which went on record in opposition of Fresh Life’s proposal, explained the reason for not allowing churches on the ground floor in that area of Central Avenue is because the downtown master plan calls for Central to expand one more block to the south with street to alley ground floor retail.

“The confusion is some magic trick where we don’t have a ground floor,” Fitzgerald said.

Many opponents pointed to Fresh Life’s presence in downtown Kalispell, where it has purchased several historic buildings and is constructing an infill building. There were concerns about the church playing music outside and having food carts on the sidewalk, creating a “carnival” atmosphere on Sunday mornings. A few people mentioned they opposed Fresh Life’s decision to “toss out” tenants of the Montana Building it purchased in downtown Kalispell.

Fresh Life is building a 16,000-square-foot building that will connect the Liberty Theater and Montana Building on First Avenue East in Kalispell. The church purchased the Montana Building in 2016 and did not renew the leases for more than a dozen business tenants.

In response to questions about the noise impacts, Planning Director David Taylor said businesses must adhere to the city’s noise ordinance, but churches would fall under a nuisance ordinance that covers disturbing the peace complaints. He advised the board to add a condition dealing with noise impacts if the board aimed to approve the conditional-use permit.

Alluding to Fresh Life’s presence in downtown Kalispell, Whitefish resident Grete Gansauer, said she’s concerned the church has a similar plan for Whitefish.

“Fresh Life has become a large brand that is inconsistent with the tourism brand and the small-town neighborhood feel of Whitefish,” Gansauer said. “It wants to add Whitefish as another notch in its belt, and I am concerned about a new building that does not fit the vintage character of this town.”

Planning Board member Rebecca Norton pointed out that “not one neighboring business or property owner spoke in favor” of the project.

“I think the church is going to grow more, and I hope they’ll find someplace else,” Norton said. “We need to preserve this section for retail.”

Tim Murphy, whose State Farm Insurance office is next door to the proposed church, said he doesn’t believe a church-retail combination is the highest and best use for that spot on Central Avenue.

First Presbyterian Church Pastor Tim Dalstrom said the church doesn’t oppose Fresh Life being in the community, adding that his church has reached out to Fresh Life to talk about the project.

“When it comes to parking you can’t draw a distinction between” weekday and Sunday morning, Dahlstrom said. It’s busy most of the time and particularly congested during the summer tourist season. That neighborhood also is losing the parking that had been available at the Frank Lloyd Wright building that recently was demolished.

“There are unintended consequences that need to be considered,” he added.

Zoning in the area doesn’t require Fresh Life to provide any parking.

Fresh Life Operations Pastor John Mark Creamer said the church seeks out locations close to downtown areas to be able to be an active part of the community.

“Our heart is to be in the middle of the community,” Creamer said.

Eric Payne, a Whitefish contractor working on the Fresh Life project, said the retail component of the project shouldn’t be overlooked.

“That is the largest introduction of new retail space on this block ever, and one of the largest introductions of new retail on Central Avenue ever,” Payne pointed out.

Payne further noted that architectural renderings for the project are still a work in progress. “We’ll make sure this project fits in downtown Whitefish,” he said.

Whitefish philanthropist and businessman Michael Goguen spoke in favor of the Fresh Life project, saying he believes some of the opposition is driven by “a little bit of fear of the unknown.” He admitted he was suspicious of the church at first, until he began attending Fresh Life and eventually became acquainted with church founder Levi Lusko. His experience with the Fresh Life congregation in Whitefish is that it injects “a burst of enthusiastic people” to the downtown area.

“I strongly believe it’s a positive impact on downtown business,” Goguen said.

The Planning Board’s motion to recommend denial of the conditional-use permit included the adoption of four findings of fact supporting the decision. Those findings note the proposed use doesn’t conform with the downtown master plan; the project design doesn’t address neighborhood impact and parking; doesn’t address public concern about compatibility with community character; and the split-level design of the church with a ground-level entry doesn’t meet the requirement of a church not being on the ground floor.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.