Downtown Master Plan to be refreshed

Whitefish’s Downtown Master Plan will be refreshed in phases after city council voted April 16 in favor of having the document updated by planning firm Crandall Arambula. The decision didn’t come easy with councilors Chris Hyatt, Phil Mitchell and Bill Kahle in opposition. Mayor John Muhlfeld broke the tie vote.

The idea to tune up the downtown plan was initially brought up at a council work session to prioritize the city’s tax increment finance funded projects. Updating the plan was voted as the top priority “minor” TIF project.

Councilor John Anderson had said refreshing the plan could help the city with important decisions, namely downtown parking and building a new city hall.

Crandall Arambula was hired to craft the original master plan. The firm submitted estimates for refreshing the plan in three phases. If all phases are requested, the total cost for their work is $56,982. Phases I and II together would cost about $31,000.

Phase I includes a financial review of the original plan outcomes.

“This task would identify the public expenditures that were made to stimulate private investment and the value of the resulting new, remodeled and proposed development that is occurring,” George Crandall wrote in a letter to the city.

Phase I also includes a meeting with the City Hall Steering Committee, and studying existing and future parking needs.

Phase II addresses conceptual design alternatives for two City Hall sites and includes a workshop and stakeholder meeting. The final phase will refine the preferred alternatives.

Anderson said he would be satisfied with phase I.

“That’s the portion we need to do initially,” he said. “It allows us to use experts in the field and facilitates our committee’s work.”

Hyatt said he would rather have the city hall committee come together for their first meeting before paying Crandall Arambula for assistance.

“I’m tired of putting the cart in front of the horse,” he said. “We’ve got a great staff and great people from the community on the board.”

Mitchell said he wasn’t in favor of the tune up at all.

“I think our staff has the expertise,” he said. “We have the ability to pick where city hall should be. I have enough confidence in our council and the city hall committee.”