The transportation element of Vision Whitefish 2045 will have to balance retaining character and infrastructure that supports density to uphold the vision of multimodality.  

Vision Whitefish 2045 is a 20-year update of Whitefish’s growth policy. The transportation element draws upon the 2022 Transportation Plan and the 2025 Safe Streets for All Action Plan to provide a snapshot of the existing transportation system and to envision key principles to inform future decisions.  

A key objective of the transportation element is to continue to develop a safe, balanced and well-integrated transportation system that provides easy access and enhances mobility for all modes of transportation. 

Another objective is to encourage compact and diverse systems, on the premise of retaining Whitefish’s walkability.  

“The city should prioritize connected compact infill development, positioning residential, institutional and commercial areas closer together,” the draft reads, in contrast to recent years of growing southward along U.S. 93.  

Other goals include improving north-south and east-west connectivity, increasing public transit, long-term sustainability, and recognizing the relationship between land use and transportation. 

“A land use plan should steer the transportation plan and associated infrastructure and not the other way around so that growth occurs in a concurrent manner,” the draft states. 

During public comment at a Planning Commission meeting last week, residents of the Greenwood Terrace area and residents of Columbia Avenue expressed discontent in the designation of Columbia Avenue as a “collector street” and its possible extension to Greenwood Drive.  

The draft transportation element does not lay out exact plans to do so but does suggest an extension of Columbia Avenue from 13th Street to Greenwood Drive, as well as Whitefish Avenue south to Shiloh Avenue, and Baker Avenue south to JP Road.  

Extensions of collector streets is, “for the most part developer driven... However, as of February 2025, resort tax allocation does allow funding for road extensions to help complete these connections,” the draft states. 

Mark Blanden, resident of Columbia Avenue, said, “Directing any kind of traffic down Columbia is criminal. It’s a downtown street, we have kids in the street,” adding that his street also serves as downtown parking.  

There are no plans to change parking along Columbia Avenue, clarified Alan Tiefenbach, Whitefish’s long-range planner. 

Greenwood residents took issue with the possible expansion.  

“This is Whitefish’s first affordable housing, in 1982, the original... and you’re going to kill it,” said Saundra Alessi, Whitefish Greenwood resident. 

Alessi also pointed to the fact that in October 2022, City Council passed an amendment to the 2022 Transportation Plan that removed the possibility of a new bridge connecting Greenwood Drive to Monegan Road.  

Resident Rhonda Fitzgerald, affiliated with Heart of Whitefish, made several suggestions for edits to the draft, and reiterated that downtown is “committed to being pedestrian friendly,” and said thorough-fare from U.S. 93 “is not good for us.”  

Fitzgerald and Mayre Flowers, resident and Citizens for a Better Flathead director, both said that the importance of a complete streets policy should be formally adopted. 

Complete streets are streets that accommodate safe access for all users including pedestrians and cyclists. Adopting a formal policy would formalize the city’s future commitment and may require changes to zoning and design standards.  

Keegan Siebenaler, director of Shelter WF, said comments made by the youth advisory council resonated with him. The Whitefish High School students suggested investing in more density and mixed-use transportation. 

“The existing character of the community is something that only certain people who got in decades ago can enjoy,” he said. “The charge of this planning commission is to replicate that type of development... you need to have a certain number of residents per acre to support public transportation.”  

The public is encouraged to participate in Vision Whitefish 2045; the next meeting on the docket is an interactive open house on growth scenarios on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Whitefish City Hall. People can also follow updates online at engagewhitefish.com/vision-whitefish-2045.