Dear Whitefish Planning Board & City Council Members:
We are writing to share our concerns about the proposed Mountain Gateway
project. As we grow, it’s critical that we do so in a manner that protects and
preserves the character of our community and follows the rules and
regulations for development. The Mountain Gateway PUD and Zoning
Amendment raises several concerns for our family including zoning changes,
variances, traffic and public safety, and responsible development. We
respectfully request that you deny the Zoning and PUD applications as
submitted.
Zoning Changes and Variances– A project including more than 300 high
density units and 500 parking spaces is inconsistent with the existing City of
Whitefish zoning of adjacent properties. This project does not complement
adjacent developments whatsoever. There are zero community benefits to
the project which are undeniably outweighed by the negative impacts this
development will bring to our neighborhood. Please mirror the surrounding
WLR WER and WSR zoning and deny all requests for variances from existing
rules.
Traffic– Wisconsin Ave is at max capacity. In the event of a fire or other
emergency, I’m not sure we’d be able to safely evacuate or receive
emergency services in a timely manner. At points in time during the ski
season it can take an hour to reach Wisconsin Ave from the Base Lodge. My
children are resistant to ride the school bus due to the amount of time it
takes them to get to/ from school. Finally, I’m hesitant to let my children ride
their bikes to school on the bike path as a result of the increased vehicle
traffic and lack of staffed crosswalks. Please require the developer to
perform a legitimate traffic study. The developer provided study took place
during the pandemic and shoulder months in Whitefish.
Responsible Growth/ Infrastructure– The real issue is that current
infrastructure is inadequate to support a project of this magnitude in this
location. We don’t want to see another single wide trailer hanging over
Wisconsin Ave as a solution to pedestrian traffic. A roundabout will take
away the ability to staff the intersection of Wisconsin and Big Mountain
Roads to expedite traffic. The City has a responsibility to confirm that the
developer has the ability to provide adequate infrastructure before any
development is allowed. We simply do not have any meaningful traffic,
water quality and wildlife impact studies from the developer to understand
the true impact of this project.
We respectfully request that after an objective assessment of the proposed
PUD and Zoning Map Amendment, you deny the applications as submitted.
Respectfully,
(name redacted)