Whitefish City Council on Monday is poised to adopt a new community plan designed to guide land-use decisions for the next 20 years.  

The Vision Whitefish 2025 Community Plan has been in the works since summer 2023, as the city has worked through updating what was previously known as a growth policy created in 2007. The Montana Legislature in 2023 enacted the Montana Land Use Planning Act that provided changes to how land use planning functions in Montana and mandated that a plan be adopted by certain cities based on population.

City Council meets at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall, 418 E Second St.

The plan looks at existing conditions and projections for population, housing, local services and facilities, transportation, economic development, natural resources, environment and hazards.

It also includes a land use map and a description of the proposed general distribution, location and extent of residential, commercial, mixed, industrial, agricultural, recreational and conservation uses of land and other categories of public and private uses. It also anticipates the preferred pattern and intensities of development for the city for the next two decades.

The Whitefish Planning Department is working to review regulations and zoning updates that should be implemented as part of the new community plan.

As part of the Montana Land Use Planning Act, zoning and subdivision regulations will include a new process where site-specific development, such as conditional use permits, will be subject to administrative approval rather than Council approval. Public comment on such permits is expected to come during the establishment of the community plan.

During the meeting, Council is set to vote on awarding a contract for the first phase of the South Whitefish water tank project that would provide additional water storage on the south side of town. The city has been working on the project for nearly a decade to allow the city to meet fire flow demands.

The project includes constructing a 1-million-gallon tank at the city shop on West 18th Street. The contract is expected to be awarded to Landmark Structures for $6.6 million.

During a work session at 5:30 p.m., Council is set to review the land use element portion of the Vision Whitefish 2045 Community Plan.