Whitefish City Council on Monday will consider hiring a consultant to bring long-planned affordable housing to the parcel formerly known as the snow lot.  

The city in 2018 began working with Missoula-based nonprofit Homeword to begin discussion on developing the lot at the corner of Railway Street and Columbia Avenue. The lot was eventually donated to the Whitefish Housing Authority, but as a result of a series of complications, the project never came to fruition.  

Council on Monday will consider signing a consultant agreement with Encompass Design, which created the initial architectural design, to complete the project.  

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

The city donated the property to Whitefish Housing Authority in 2020 for development as the Depot Park Townhomes Project for 22 housing units. But following a shakeup in leadership at the housing authority and increasing construction costs, it was never finished, and the property was returned to the city. Whitefish has contributed about $1.8 million to the project and just over $918,000 remains available for the project in the fiscal year 2027 budget.  

Now, the city is looking to execute the agreement to proceed with building permits for the housing units.  

A public hearing will take place on a resolution approving fees for various services provided by the Planning and Building Department. The change comes after the city updated its zoning and subdivision regulations in compliance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act.  

A lakeshore variance construction permit and minor variance are up for a vote for 1460 Wisconsin Ave. to replace a grandfathered dock. Also, Council will vote on a request for a lakeshore variance to partially reconstruct an existing deck and stairway at 430 Parkway Drive.  

Consideration of awarding the construction contract to Wesco for the O'Brien Avenue watermain replacement project in the amount of just over $2 million is on the agenda.   

Council will consider granting a utility easement to Flathead Electric Cooperative at the Bakke Nature Reserve. The co-op is working to replace aging underground electrical infrastructure and is seeking an easement for access to a planned new transformer.  

During a work session at 6 p.m., Council will get an update on the Whitefish Fire Service Area. The city and the rural fire area have an interlocal agreement that obligates the city to provide fire protection services to the area. 

In recent years, significant residential and commercial development in the area has increased the demand for fire protection and emergency response services. Compensation from the rural fire district has not kept pace with increasing costs to provide these services, according to City Manager Dana Meeker.  

During the work session, the rural fire board is expected to provide information on what is being done to address the situation.  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch can be reached at 406-758-4421 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.