Proposed Town Pump wins narrow approval
An artist's rendering submitted to the city of Whitefish by CWG Architecture shows the Town Pump gas station being developed at the corner of Montana 40 and U.S. 93.
The Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday narrowly recommended approval of a conditional-use permit for a Town Pump gas station and convenience store at the northeast corner of U.S. 93 and Montana 40.
The board split 4-3 in favor of the permit, with John Middleton, Allison Linville and Whitney Beckham voting in opposition. The board held its regular meeting Thursday evening, with three board members phoning in.
Whitefish Planning Director Dave Taylor said a key concern of some board members and the public is a 2005 traffic study for the high-traffic intersection. The Montana Department of Transportation reviewed the 15-year-old plan, and felt it was adequate, Taylor said, because initial a different use for the property was considered that would have generated more vehicle trips per day than the proposed gas station. The property owners have made infrastructure improvements to the 5.4-acre site since then.
Other concerns were the proximity to North Valley Hospital and the adjoining medical campus, and potential environmental impacts of underground storage tanks.
The property was annexed into the city last year at the request of the owner, the Baur Family Partnership. Plans call for constructing a building about 13,700 square feet in size. In addition, two detached automobile fueling stations and one detached RV fueling station are planned.
City water and sewer mains would be extended to the site. Access would be from an existing approach off Montana 40 and an unnamed private roadway on the north side of the property connects to U.S. 93.
A conditional-use permit is required for gas stations and convenience stores in the WB-2 zoning district. The city growth policy designates the property as suburban residential, which does not match the zoning.
Janet Donahue, who lives near the property, submitted a letter to the city with concerns about increased traffic, maintaining that because of the high volume of traffic on U.S. 93, motorists traveling south could use the private roadway and go past the hospital to exit the area.
The project is required under city regulations to provide 46 parking spaces, according to the planning staff report, and the developer is planning to provide 71 spaces.
The developer also is required to landscape a minimum of 6% of the property and the parking lot must be landscaped, and provided a minimum tree density for the property. The planning staff report said the plan meets these requirements.
A new sidewalk would be installed along the entire frontage of the proposed street on the north side of the property. The city is encouraging the developer to work with North Valley Hospital to connect the new sidewalk with the hospital’s path around its campus.
The gas station is expected to be open 24 hour per day, seven days per week.
The Whitefish City Council will make the final decision on the project at an upcoming meeting.
The Whitefish Pilot contributed to this report.