Planning board looks at CUP for new restaurant
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 5 months 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. | January 20, 2021 1:00 AM
The Whitefish Planning Board on Thursday will consider a request to operate a small restaurant out of an under construction building on Lupfer Avenue.
The restaurant — Cru — is expected to include a beer and wine license and operate on the first floor of the new building that was previously approved by the city.
Emily Rindal of Liquid Library of Seeley Lake is listed as the applicant for the request. The restaurant would enhance the shopping loop in downtown Whitefish, the application notes, and Cru would be “another place for tourists and locals alike to enjoy food, beer and wine together which is a benefit to the tourist industry.”
The planning board meets at 6 p.m. remotely through Webex.
The restaurant is seeking a conditional use permit to operate. While restaurants are a permitted use in the WB-3 zone, those that contain a bar or lounge are required to obtain a CUP under city zoning regulations.
The restaurant is planned to include a small kitchen and operate between the hours of 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. It’s expected to employ two full-time and two part-time employees, according to the planning staff report.
The proposed use for the building has “effectively dealt with the site design issues because the business is located in a new building” that provides the required amount of parking spaces, traffic circulation and must comply with landscaping requirements, the staff report notes.
The planning department is recommending approval of the conditional use permit with four conditions. One of the conditions says that any audio speakers for music in any outdoor dining area must be directed away from the public sidewalk and streets, and set out a loudness level allowing only an insignificant volume to spill onto public sidewalks and streets.
Also on the planning board agenda, is a request from Curtis and Christine Feeny for a conditional use permit to construct an accessory apartment above an existing garage at 1656 W, Lakeshore Drive.
Those wishing to provide written comments for the meeting can deliver comments by noon on Jan. 21 to City Hall or email comments to [email protected].
For more information on how to participate in the planning board meeting remotely through Webex, visit the city’s website at https://www.cityofwhitefish.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=385
ARTICLES BY HEIDI DESCH
Whitefish City Council set to approve draft budget
Whitefish City Council on Monday is poised to approve a $63.4 million preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027.
Whitefish considers annexation for land on south entrance
Whitefish City Council on Monday will decide whether to annex about 18 acres of land on the south entrance of the city.
Senior Spotlight: Glacier High School student looks to use science to help others
Knowing she wanted to help others, there was a time when Anitha Ravipati considered pursuing a career as a medical doctor. But applying her science acumen during an internship last summer opened the possibility of assisting through research.