Whitefish Planning Board splits on 24-unit ‘castle’ townhouse PUD; no recommendation sent to council

The Whitefish Community Development Board split on a proposal to subdivide a 2.85-acre property near Baker Avenue into 24 townhome units and preserve the existing “castle” house, leaving the application without a board recommendation as it moves to city council.

Staff presented a recommended preliminary plat and planned unit development (PUD) for the applicant listed in the file as Taylor Hill of Whitefish, describing a compact development of 24 townhouse units in seven buildings, a 20-foot private loop road, internal pedestrian paths, an on-site stormwater pond and a proposed secondary gated emergency access to O’Brien Avenue. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including tree preservation, right-of-way dedications and improvements to the unimproved emergency-access route.

The proposal matters because it asks the board to allow six zoning deviations in exchange for on-site open space and an affordable-housing community benefit; neighbors and some board members said the deviations would substantially change neighborhood character, increase traffic on an already-constrained corridor and risk tree loss and view impacts.

Wendy (City staff) summarized the application and staff conditions, saying the proposal “generally complies with the evaluation” but recommending a tree‑preservation plan and dedication of 10–15 feet of right-of-way along West Tenth Street.…