Kahle: Developer work gives him unique skills for council

Bill Kahle's introduction to local politics was serving on the Whitefish growth policy steering committee, a task that allowed him to not only get his feet wet in local government but also see how the council works.

"I was impressed with the dedication of the councilors, but I was surprised that none of them had children in the school system. Our town needs to continue to grow in the direction of attracting families here."

As the father of four children in the Whitefish School District, Kahle believes that Whitefish needs someone at the council level to advocate for a healthy, growing school system. He'd like to see the council and school district work together in supporting a new high school for Whitefish, "one that makes sense" for the community.

Kahle said his work as a real-estate developer gives him a skill set that would be helpful to the council.

"Someone who reads zoning regulations as a vocation has a unique insight into the effectiveness of those regulations," he said. "I have an insight into both the positive and negative aspects of development and the construction process and ways to bring regulatory clarity to this process."

Kahle has completed several in-fill development projects in Whitefish, including the O'Brien Bluffs subdivision, the Zaneray building, 101 Miles condominiums, the Baker Commons commercial site, and most recently the mixed-use Conductor's Row condominiums in the historic Railway District.

"My philosophy is leave as small a footprint as possible," he said. "As a developer you're changing the face of the community, so it needs to be taken seriously."

Kahle supports the downtown master plan but does not favor narrowing Central Avenue.

"There was an outcry from people concerned with the process," he said about the streetscape OK'd by the council. "The perception was that the council was not listening. The six-week trial period [to test mock-ups of wider sidewalks] was ill-conceived, and when the council voted halfway through the six weeks, it smacked of political pandering."

Kahle said governance of the two-mile "doughnut" planning area is a delicate issue. He believes a dialog with county officials is critical because the county has the ability to have a "tremendous impact on our gateways."

A system needs to be developed that is consistent with state law and gives doughnut residents the representation they deserve, he added.

Regarding the critical-areas ordinance that affects development both in the city and the doughnut area, Kahle said that while it's well-intentioned, it in not based in Whitefish-specific science and therefore lacks credibility.

He believes the city needs an ongoing testing protocol to determine what the community's pollution problems really are.

"Let's make sure we're solving the problems that actually exist," he said. "The lake and mountain are our primary focal points and it's vital to protect them, but without a firm foundation in science, any type of regulation lacks credibility."

Kahle is keeping a close eye on the testing being done on properties in response to BNSF Railway Co.'s move earlier this year to purchase several properties near the rail yard.

There is speculation that migrating underground petroleum-product plumes may be driving the railroad's effort to buy affected properties.

"The uncertainty is what we can't live with," Kahle said. "It's a developer's fear, trying to aim at moving targets."

He commended the city for doing an excellent job of fact-finding in the BNSF issue.

Affordable housing is an issue the city needs to continue working on within the parameters of a volunteer program, Kahle said. While Whitefish Housing Authority Director SueAnn Grogan "has done a great job of putting a program in place," he said he'd like to see even more "arrows in the quiver" in providing housing options, particularly in the area of down-payment assistance.

Expanding the economic base of Whitefish is high on Kahle's priority list.

"I think Whitefish can have a focused effort to attract business with high-paying jobs," he said. "We can be as selective as we need to be."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com