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Council approves five-lot Murray Avenue subdivision despite neighbor opposition
Summary
The council approved a five-lot preliminary plat for GMJ LLC on Murray Avenue that requires three variances (private T-turnaround, shared access, private drive serving more than three dwellings). Neighbors raised privacy, tree-loss and traffic concerns; the motion passed 4-1.
The Whitefish City Council on July 20 approved a five-lot preliminary plat for GMJ LLC at Murray Avenue that included three requested variances for access and turnaround design.
Planning staff Lauren presented the application and the requested variances. She said the site is constrained by lot configuration and topography, the fire department reviewed the access and found emergency ingress/egress can be met with conditions, and staff recommended approval with conditions addressing tree retention and fire-access signage.
Neighbor Brett Thompson told the council he and his family will lose privacy and a mature tree buffer that serves as an animal corridor and a noise buffer from the BNSF tracks. "The tree loss in the back is a major sound buffer from the train," he said, and he urged the council to consider the impact of three variances on neighboring lots.
The applicant's engineer, Doug Patmire of TDH Engineering, said the project subdivides three existing lots into five and estimated traffic generation at under 30 average daily trips (below the TIS trigger). He said three lots will access Murray and two will access Ramsey and emphasized tree preservation and geotechnical review will proceed at building permit stage.
Councilor Ben moved to approve the preliminary plat; the motion was seconded and, after discussion, carried on a 4-1 vote with Councilor Norton recorded as the lone dissenting vote. Rebecca announced she would vote against the request citing insufficient neighborhood-impact data; other councilors said the variances address road construction details rather than density and that the proposal conforms to zoning when built as a private road.
The approval includes the variances and the staff-recommended conditions for fire access and tree preservation; staff noted the private road is intended to be built to a standard that provides for emergency access but would remain private and not be taken over by the city.
