Whitefish City Council, on April 3, voted unanimously to approve a preliminary plat to develop a 24-lot subdivision on 7 acres northwest of Pheasant Run, west of Highway 93.

According to the staff report, the property is bisected by a new north-south public right-of-way which is the future Baker Avenue extension and will be accessed from Highway 93 via Pheasant Run.

The applicant and landowner, Kurt Vickman, is proposing 21 residential lots on the western portion of the property that is zoned WR-2, or two-family residential. On the other side of the Baker Avenue extension, three lots in the WB-2 (Secondary Business) zone are planned.

Nineteen of the 21 lots on the west side of the development are sized to accommodate either single-family or two-family units, with lot sizes ranging from about 6,000 square feet to over 13,000 square feet.

The three lots on the east side are approximately 13,000 square feet and will be located along the new Baker Avenue extension. A 30-foot right-of-way is proposed in the northeast corner of the development to connect to Akers Lane.

“Akers Lane is an existing, private easement that serves… three lots. It’s paved past the Army/Navy, up past the hotel and then it ends,” Whitefish Senior Planner Wendy Compton-Ring said. “They’ll have to extend that through that third lot where the mini-storage units are going to go and then through their development as well.”

In addition, this development will complete approximately 485 feet of the north-south Baker Avenue extension between Pheasant Run and the north property line.

The proposal also shows a 10,800-square-foot park located in the southeast corner of the parcel.

City staff recommended approval of the project subject to 20 conditions, including one that says, “The developer will pay a fee in lieu of signal installation for the intersection at Akers Lane and Highway 93 South for the percentage increase in traffic attributable to this project, as calculated by the Public Works Department at the time of final plat.”

The report says the applicant and traffic engineer will work with the Public Works Department to determine the percentage increase in traffic directly attributable to the project. A traffic impact study showed that the proposed subdivision will generate approximately 440 daily vehicular trips per day.

Vickman, who purchased the 7-acre property in February 2022, was the only one to speak during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

“On the west side of the property, we’re proposing 21 lots within the WR-2 zoning district, with lots number 4,5,6 and 7 being restricted to single-family use along with a 25-foot setback along the entire west side of the property per our agreement with the Park Knoll neighborhood,” Vickman said.

He continued to say the remaining 17 lots would be used for either single or two-family units.

Since no subdivision variances were requested, the project was eligible for an expedited review and the council voted unanimously to approve the request for a preliminary plat.