Dear Whitefish Planning Board and City Council Members,
I’m sending this letter as public comment on the Mountain Gateway project, and the proposed
zoning changes to allow commercial development at the intersection of Big Mountain Road
and East Lakeshore Dr.
My husband and myself are strongly opposed to this proposed development. A zoning
change in this area would forever change the nature and character of the gateway to our
mountain and neighborhoods. We have lived at the head of Whitefish Lake for 35 years, and
have watched in alarm as traffic congestion on Wisconsin Ave has dramatically increased in
the past few years. It is absolutely preposterous to think that a development of this size is
feasible with the one and only artery connecting Big Mountain and downtown Whitefish, with
the only access across the viaduct. It is not uncommon in the winter to have the traffic backed
up at the turn to Big Mountain all the way down Wisconsin Ave into downtown. It has been
made even more frustrating with the Quarry and other developments adding many more cars
on this limited roadway.
We sincerely urge you to honor the Growth Policy vision statement and preserve the values of
open space and maintaining a small town feel, which is what makes this town so special. It’s
why we all chose to live in Whitefish, and those values feel increasingly threatened on a daily
basis.
Whitefish and the entire Valley deserves thoughtful development, and we strongly urge you
to deny setting this dangerous precedent for commercial and high density residential
development in this area.