Monday, December 15, 2025
35.0°F

Whitefish Christian Academy requests to make temporary classrooms permanent

HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years AGO
by HEIDI DESCH
Heidi Desch is features editor and covers Flathead County for the Daily Inter Lake. She previously served as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, spending 10 years at the newspaper and earning honors as best weekly newspaper in Montana. She was a reporter for the Hungry Horse News and has served as interim editor for The Western News and Bigfork Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Montana. She can be reached at [email protected] or 406-758-4421. | December 15, 2021 1:00 AM

Headlining the Whitefish Planning Board agenda this month is a request by the Whitefish Christian Academy to allow for temporary buildings on the school’s property to become permanent.

The buildings located on the west side of the main school building on Ashar Avenue are used to house classrooms. The academy is seeking a conditional use permit for the change.

The planning board meets at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16 at City Hall.

City Council in 2014 approved the use of the two temporary buildings by the academy for up to four years as the academy planned to rebuild in a new location outside of Whitefish. The buildings were placed on the property and the school began using them in fall of 2015.

City Council in 2019 approved a second CUP for the academy to expand its school building at its existing location on Ashar Avenue and that also included an additional two years of using the temporary classroom buildings.

At this point, the CUP has expired and the school can either remove the buildings or make them permanent. The school opted to submit a new CUP to make the classroom buildings permanent as they’ve scaled back their expansion plans.

If the buildings can be brought up to city building code, the planning report notes, then planning staff would be comfortable with the request.

Also on the agenda are two requests for conditional use permits.

Joy Keuylian is seeking a CUP to construct a guest house at 465 Armory Road. The property already includes a single-family home.

Laurany Gergen is seeking a CUP to construct an accessory apartment over a new garage at 424 Somers Avenue. The property already contains a single-family home.

All of the items are set to go before City Council on Jan. 3.

ARTICLES BY HEIDI DESCH

Whitefish Council looks at cell tower contract
November 16, 2025 11 p.m.

Whitefish Council looks at cell tower contract

Whitefish City Council on Monday will consider a new agreement for a cell tower located at Memorial Park.

Whitefish hotel expansion goes before City Council
November 2, 2025 11 p.m.

Whitefish hotel expansion goes before City Council

A hotel along the Whitefish River is looking to expand by converting an office building on the same property into lodging.

Ideas into opportunities: FVCC's entrepreneurship center to support future leaders
November 2, 2025 12:05 a.m.

Ideas into opportunities: FVCC's entrepreneurship center to support future leaders

Billed as a place to cultivate solutions while fostering business innovation, Flathead Valley Community College on Thursday opened the doors to the Wachholz Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.