An expansion of The Lodge at Whitefish Lake’s marina and a housing development on Second Street both won favorable recommendations Thursday from the Whitefish City-County Planning Board.

The Averill family, which owns The Lodge, proposed a major lakeshore variance to expand an existing public marina and asked for a change to the original planned-unit development. They initially asked for 18 additional slips — nine slips more than permitted based on lakeshore frontage.

At the beginning of the Planning Board meeting, however, the Averills withdrew their request for the extra nine slips.

The board unanimously recommended approval of an amendment to the lodge’s planned unit development that will allow the additional nine slips.

A lakeshore variance to allow a 19-foot extension of the gangway and increase the amount of constructed area below the high-water mark was recommended for approval on a split vote of 3-2.

The marina project drew some input from community members, with two residents speaking against the marina expansion. Three others had concerns about the project, “but they weren’t 100 percent against it,” planner Bailey Minnich said.

A revamped design for the proposed Second Street Residences subdivision on East Second Street won unanimous approval from the board, and no one spoke for or against the project. Senior planner Wendy Compton-Ring said the city received three letters on the revised subdivision — one with a concern about traffic, one concerned about groundwater and one in support of the project.

A year ago developers Sean Averill and Will MacDonald of Community Infill Partners presented a proposal for a mixed-use project with 174 housing units. After that plan met with overwhelming neighborhood opposition, they withdrew their application and came up with a scaled-back plan for 150 units that also was deemed too dense for the area. The property is largely open space near the intersection of East Second Street and Armory Road.

A third proposal trimmed the number of units to 143, but with continuing opposition the developers pulled the application before the City Council could act on it.

The current proposal calls for a 62-lot subdivision made up of 54 homes and eight townhouses. It reduces the density from 7.3 to 2.6 dwelling units per acre.

Also winning unanimous approval from the board was a request to expand Whitefish Christian Academy on Ashar Avenue with up to four temporary modular classrooms. The additional classrooms would serve an expanding student population until a larger permanent facility could be built.

The Second Street Residences project and the Whitefish Christian Academy classrooms will be considered for final approval by the Whitefish City Council on June 2, while The Lodge marina expansion is expected on the council’s June 16 agenda.

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