Whitefish City Council approved the plans for multiple buildings in a business park on Baker Avenue, but ignored requests to reconsider a previously denied zone change for the property. 

Elaine Edwards, on behalf of 1840 Baker LLC, requested the conditional use permit for The Mix for the construction of four buildings on the property to house a variety of commercial and industrial uses.

Council made little comment in its approval of the CUP other than adding a requirement that sidewalks be constructed along Baker Avenue in front of the project.

Council previously denied a request for a zone change for the property after concerns were raised about blending the zoning on the site. The owners had previously asked to change the zoning to add two condo units, and amend conditions to allow for music schools, trade schools and hotels as allowed uses.

Vik Keuylian, representing The Mix, said the plans for the property have changed since its initial conception and the zoning was approved in 2013.

“We’d like you to reconsider the zoning,” he said. “Originally we were going to put in a mechanic shop, but there were so many requests for retail and office space, we decided not to go forward with that. We have an interested buyer for the hotel. This project could create 65 jobs.”

Jeff Russell, owner of Great Northern Pasta, also asked council to reconsider saying he is interested in locating his business at The Mix.

“I’ve had difficulty finding a larger facility,” he said. “I want to find a space to keep operating in Whitefish.”

Under its conditional zoning, the property is allowed to house a number of business and light industrial uses, including antique stores, automobile or boats sales or repair, furniture or floor covering stores, grocery stores, laundry services, machinery and equipment sales or repair, medical clinics, restaurants, light industrial, office space, parcel delivery or tire sales, and microbreweries.

The owner was originally approved to use the conditional zoning provision to rezone the property to a more restrictive mixed-use hybrid of the industrial and business uses, according to Planning Director Dave Taylor. Conditional use zoning allows for a blended zone that offers restrictions on development requirements and future uses in exchange for some allowed uses, he noted.