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Community groups tell council growth‑policy process limits public participation; ShelterWF warns against removing mixed‑use
Summary
Speakers from ShelterWF and Citizens for a Better Flathead told the Whitefish City Council they fear the growth policy update and planning process are limiting meaningful public participation and that removing mixed‑use references would undermine multimodal goals.
Two community speakers told the Whitefish City Council the city's growth policy update requires closer attention to public participation and to preserving mixed‑use planning language.
Keegan Siebenaler, executive director of ShelterWF, said public comments on the transportation element were "generally quite positive" but that a downtown business group had urged the planning commission to remove references to mixed use. He argued mixed use is supported broadly by community members and the Whitefish Youth Council and called mixed use zoning a necessary partner to multimodal transportation: "You can have the absolutely best bike and pedestrian network in the world... and it's just not going to be used if you don't couple it with mixed use zoning."
Mary Flowers of Citizens for a Better Flathead supplemented written comments submitted to the planning commission and criticized current public‑participation procedures used during the growth policy update. Flowers said the process "is not in alignment with the Montana land use act" (transcript reference: a statutory citation given in the remarks) and urged the city and the city manager to redirect staff toward a more supportive public‑engagement role. She told the council her group will meet with the city manager to present a more concrete set of recommendations.
Why it matters: The growth policy and transportation element guide future land use and traffic patterns. Speakers framed the dispute as both procedural — how public comment is received and considered — and substantive — whether mixed‑use language remains in planning documents.
What the council heard: City Manager Dana outlined a timeline for growth policy and zoning updates and proposed a limited contract amendment to bring zoning into compliance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA) by May 2026, followed by a full RFP for a complete rewrite. Dana also suggested an additional special work session so the council has time to review the changes.
Next steps: Speakers said they will submit written recommendations to the city manager and planning commission; staff indicated the city will follow the MLUPA compliance timeline and consider additional work sessions.
