Whitefish council to discuss developing ‘Snow Lot’

The Whitefish City Council will look at donating the “Snow Lot” to the Whitefish Housing Authority for new housing at its remote meeting this evening at 6 p.m.

Residents can find instructions to join the meeting through the WebEx platform, or over the phone, under “Agenda Info” in the Mayor and City Council section of the city of Whitefish website.

The council will decide on a resolution donating the lot to the Whitefish Housing Authority as well as authorizing the Whitefish city manager to execute a development agreement with the Housing Authority. The proposed development agreement would require the Housing Authority to develop and use the lot for affordable housing,

The “Snow Lot” is an approximately 1.6-acre lot bordered by Depot Street and Railway Street, and has been used for many years to store snow removed from city streets. It was designated a suitable site for housing in the Downtown Master Plan, and in 2017 the Whitefish Strategic Master Plan recommended the city create a public/private partnership to develop the lot for workforce housing.

Homeword, a nonprofit community development organization based out of Missoula, drafted a conceptual development design and financial feasibility analysis for the lot. The analysis showed a budget shortfall, so the Strategic Housing Steering Committee decided the better option would be to develop the lot with permanently deed-restricted townhouses.

On March 2, Homeword presented a revised design concept and financial analysis. The City Council agreed to donate $459,500 in tax increment funds and $509,000 in cash-in-lieu fees from development applications, $260,000 of which is immediately available.