The Whitefish Planning Commission granted two variances and recommended approval of two zone changes on Thursday. 

The Whitefish School District requested a variance to the outdoor lighting standards to install outdoor uplighting for high school athletics. The outdoor lighting standards require all outdoor lighting dark sky compliant, including athletic field lighting. 

Whitefish Senior Planner Wendy Compton-Ring said the district is proposing four lights, one in each corner of the redeveloped athletic field. Each pole will have fixtures at the top which are dark sky compliant and lower fixtures that are not. The district submitted site plans that describe how much lumen would go off site. 

“The amount of light trespass[is] very low, ranging from none to .69 foot candles,” Compton-Ring said. “So, it’s a very low amount of light that could go off-site.” 

The fields will be used for football, soccer and track, but lighting will most likely be used for fall sports and only during games. 

There was no public comment and the commission approved the variance unanimously. 

The city requested zone changes to remove two expired planned unit development overlays, one at East Sixth Street and Spokane Avenue, and the other on East Edgewood Drive, as a matter of housekeeping. 

Compton-Ring said since the planned unit developments had expired, the city was requesting zoning map amendments to bring them into conformance and eliminate the planned unit developments. 

The commission members voted unanimously to recommend the amendments, and the items are scheduled to go before City Council on April 20. 

Stephanie Sunshine requested a variance to the side yard setback standards to construct a partial second‑story addition to an existing single‑family home. 

Commission member Scott Wurster recused himself because he is the adjoining property owner.  

Whitefish City Planner Lauren Macdonald said the proposed addition would encroach 2 feet into the south side yard setback.  

The Commission voted unanimously to approve the variance. 

Commission members Phil Boland and Frank Sweeney were absent. 

The Planning Commission has a work session at 5 p.m. on April 16, before its next regular meeting.