Why our growth policy must protect downtown

As the City of Whitefish prepares its 2045 Growth Policy, it is critical that our long-term planning is based on economic data and technical expertise rather than well-meaning but flawed theory. Citizens for a Better Flathead stands in strong support of the position advocated by Heart of Whitefish for future commercial development in the city, which we believe is grounded in the economic realities of our community and supported by the professional analysis of Crandall Arambula.  

We wish to specifically validate and draw attention to the formal comments submitted on behalf of Heart of Whitefish by the urban design firm Crandall Arambula. Their professional assessment provides critical technical merit to these arguments. It is important for the public to remember that Crandall Arambula is the firm that worked with the Whitefish community to develop the existing, highly successful Downtown Business District Master Plan.  

Their expertise in what makes a downtown successful is unparalleled. Their warning should be taken seriously: introducing retail into residential "neighborhood centers" and “mixed-use neighborhoods” as proposed lacks any data-backed rationale and poses a direct threat to our downtown’s vitality.  

The central debate in this update is the proposal to allow neighborhood centers and/or mixed-use commercial development throughout all residential neighborhoods. While proponents like Shelter WF suggest this will improve walkability, the facts demonstrate that this policy would be a slippery slope for our community character and a direct threat to our economic core. 

Why the facts support protecting the downtown core of Whitefish:  

1. Protecting the economic engine: Whitefish's vitality depends on a strong downtown business district. Currently, there are 89,750 square feet of vacant storefronts and retail sites available downtown. Expanding retail into outlying residential areas as called for by city planning consultants in three future neighborhood centers, Crandall Arambula finds would "cannibalize" existing downtown businesses, leading to increased vacancies and ultimately a loss in the resort tax revenue that funds our city services. Note that prior city councils thoughtfully customized and restricted B-1 commercial uses on Wisconsin and similarly they specifically limited B-2 commercial uses on Hwy 93 south to meet some large footprint commercial use needs like furniture stores and car dealerships outside of the downtown core. The viability or need for more such commercial uses outside of the downtown core at this time has not been factually established and is not supported by Crandall Arambula.  

2. Prioritizing homes over commercial encroachment: Every square foot of a residential zone should be prioritized for housing, walkability and retention of neighborhood character, not commercial. Proponents often use the image of a quiet neighborhood coffee shop to sell this policy, but the draft growth policy lacks any clear definitions or tools to prevent these "centers" from becoming high-traffic commercial hubs. In a town with an acute housing shortage, we should not be trading bedrooms for speculative storefronts that the market cannot support.  

3. The risk of ghost storefronts: Professional analysis by Crandall Arambula confirms that most Whitefish neighborhoods lack the population density - typically 2,000 units within a five-minute walk - to support local shops. Without these fundamentals, well-intended retail policies will result in failed businesses and vacant storefronts that become an economic burden and visual blight on our streets.  

4. Infrastructure over sprawl: We believe in a robust town-wide active transportation network. Rather than bringing commercial noise and traffic into quiet residential blocks, we should invest in safe, direct pedestrian and bike connections that allow residents to access the existing goods and services in our downtown core. Crandall Arambula’s expertise is proven by the success of our current downtown. They warn that creating unwarranted retail destinations outside the core will weaken our community’s unique character.  

We urge the Planning Commission and City Council to adopt the edits compiled by Heart of Whitefish, which include comments we and others have made at hearings to date, to ensure a growth policy that is bold, realistic and protective of our neighborhoods. 

Mayre Flowers is the executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead.