Whitefish turns its attention once again to housing as the Planning Board on Thursday considers a proposal to develop a 23-lot subdivision on 4.7 acres off Colorado Avenue.

Cottonwood LLC of Kalispell is asking for preliminary plat approval to build Cottonwood Estates in a single phase. The subdivision would feature single-family homes. The property is located east of Colorado Avenue and north of Denver Street, and presently is developed with one existing single-family home.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing before making a recommendation to the City Council, which will hold a subsequent hearing on Nov. 7 before a final decision is made.

The density of Cottonwood Estates is proposed at roughly 4.8 to 6.8 dwelling units per acre. The property is zoned WR-2, which allows seven to 12 dwelling units per acre.

The subdivision developer is asking for a variance to construct the primary access onto Colorado Avenue offset from the driveway for the Stumptown Ice Den to the west, and also does not want to be required to meet the separation requirements of the city engineering standards.

The city planning staff is recommending the variance be denied, largely due to concerns about pedestrian safety.

Overall, the planning staff recommends approval of Cottonwood Estates.

In other business, the board will hold a public hearing to consider the Whitefish Hotel Group’s request to amend the conditional-use permit for the Firebrand Hotel to allow a hot tub on the hotel roof.

Initial plans included space for a pool and a hot tub in the hotel basement, but at some point the developer made the decision to scrap the pool and relocate the hot tub to the roof.

Whitefish Zoning Administrator Dave Taylor denied the hot tub relocation. The Whitefish Hotel Group then appealed the decision to the Board of Adjustment. That board upheld Taylor’s decision and also rejected the rooftop hot tub.

The City Council will make a final determination on the hot tub request following a public hearing on Nov. 7.

Three other public hearings on the board’s agenda deal with rezoning recently annexed parcels from county to city zoning.

The board meets at 6 p.m. at the interim City Hall, 1005 Baker Ave. in Whitefish.

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