Planning board OKs full bar in Firebrand
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years AGO
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | October 31, 2017 5:47 PM
The Whitefish Planning Board on Oct. 19 gave a positive recommendation to a request from the Firebrand Hotel to operate a full bar inside the hotel.
The Firebrand is seeking a conditional use permit to operate with a full liquor license.
Brian Averill, one of the hotel’s owners, said the hotel is looking to add a full liquor license because it has become a necessary part of operating the “boutique, higher-end” hotel.
“One of the things that goes along with higher end is a liquor license,” Averill said. “That’s been our main guest request, to really embrace the full potential of the hotel that’s what we need to do.”
One of the conditions of approval as recommended by city planning staff was to prohibit the operation of the bar on the rooftop.
The Planning Board decided it wanted to take it a step further and amended the condition to say that “no bar temporary or permanent can be located on the rooftop patio.”
“I don’t think having a full license will change the business too much,” Planning Board member Rebecca Norton said. “I would like to add that condition that will strengthen the compliance of no rooftop bar.”
Averill said the hotel didn’t intend to operate a bar on the rooftop patio.
“It’s an appropriate use for a guest to take a drink up on the roof, but it’s not an appropriate place for a bar,” Averill said.
Planning Director Dave Taylor said the planning department’s condition on the CUP was intended to limit what is allowed on the rooftop.
“The rooftop can have a patio, but no other entertainment or music uses,” he said. “That doesn’t preclude someone bringing a drink onto roof, but we don’t want a bar on the roof.”
The hotel was granted a CUP in 2015 to operate at its location. It currently includes a restaurant and lounge with a beer and wine licenses, but would like to operate with an all-beverage license in its restaurant and lounge.
Whitefish City Council last year approved the operation of a rooftop hot tub at the downtown hotel as an amendment to the hotel’s CUP. The OK came after objections from neighbors who said the change would increase the noise coming from the hotel creating a disturbance to the residential area to the east of the building.
City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter at its Nov. 20 meeting.
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