Whitefish board removes expired PUD overlay from Old Hospital site, returns parcel to WB-2 zoning

The Whitefish Community Development Board on March 20 voted unanimously to approve WCCZ25-01, a city-initiated zoning map amendment that removes an expired planned unit development (PUD) overlay from two parcels commonly called the Old Hospital site and restores the parcels to WB-2 (general commercial) zoning.

City staff told the board the ordinance that created the PUD, Ordinance 19-04, authorized a development of 234 apartments in seven buildings; that ordinance took effect Feb. 4, 2019, and the PUD overlay expired Feb. 4, 2022. Staff said the rezone returns the property to its underlying WB-2 zoning, which the city’s future land use map designates as general commercial.

Staff said public services are available to the site and that future development would be reviewed under standard building and zoning regulations. “Staff have found that the proposal generally complies with the evaluation criteria based on the finding of facts presented,” planner Lauren said during the hearing. Notices were mailed to adjacent property owners on Feb. 25, 2025; the project was posted to the city website and a notice ran in the Whitefish Pilot on March 5, 2025. Staff reported no public comments had been received as of the hearing.

The board’s motion, made during the public hearing, asked the board to approve WCCZ25-01 “in accordance with the Whitefish City Code Title 11 Chapter 7 subsection section 12 based on the findings of fact presented in the report and recommend the City Council approve the zone change.” The motion was seconded and passed unanimously; the board did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript.

The parcels are currently undeveloped and sit north of commercial development, east of the Whitefish River and are served by city sewer and water; electric service was described as provided by Flathead Electric Cooperative and natural gas by NorthWestern Energy. Restoring the WB-2 designation returns the property to a zoning category staff said is consistent with the Highway 93 South corridor plan and the city’s growth-policy future land use designation.

No appeals, conditions, or amendments to the motion were recorded at the meeting. The board recommended the zone change to the City Council for final action.