I know that hearing about the *uber important meeting* that *ShelterWF needs YOU to attend* is pretty old news to our membership at this point.

Trust me, I get it. It's like hearing every four years that "This is the most important election of your lifetime"

 

Monday, March 23rd 7:10pm on the Whitefish Growth Policy. Public hearing continued from the March 2nd meeting.

Why Whitefish’s Growth Policy Needs to Change

Whitefish’s current Growth Policy is doomed to fail. By 2045, the city must build thousands of new homes to comply with state law and to keep Whitefish even remotely affordable for the people who live and work here. But the draft plan currently sets Whitefish up to meet those numbers only by sprawling outward—a strategy that increases traffic, destroys farmland and forests, strains infrastructure, and still won’t produce affordable homes.

The core problem is simple: the plan assumes that just three lots will absorb most of the required housing growth.

 

If those sites don’t deliver thousands of new units—and history shows they won’t—the Growth Policy’s next step is immediate annexation and sprawl. A plan that doesn’t allow growth in most of the city is not smart planning, and it directly contradicts the city’s goals for housing, transportation, climate, and fiscal responsibility.

To create a Growth Policy that actually works, Whitefish needs to:

  • Build most new housing within one mile of downtown, where infrastructure and services already exist.

  • Allow quadplexes and townhomes by right in all neighborhoods. (see the images below for examples of Missing Middle. Want to learn more about Missing Middle Housing? Click here).

  • Reverse downzonings in the Land Use Plan that reduce housing capacity.
  • Aggressively acquire and build housing on city‑owned lots by 2030 to meet workforce needs.

Whitefish deserves a plan that supports affordability, sustainability, and opportunity—not one that pushes growth to the edges and hopes for the best.

 

Below, we have written public comment templates that make it as easy as possible to make a difference. Please forward this email to anybody who cares about housing affordability in Whitefish! Your friends, enemies, bosses, workers, etc.

A unique mix of Whitefish organizations agree over key changes that the Planning Commission should make to the Land Use Plan.

  • Heart of Whitefish, Housing Whitefish, and ShelterWF have all argued that most new housing should go within a mile of Downtown Whitefish. The image above was presented by Heart of Whitefish Consultants, Crandall Arambula, and is a tremendous strategy for smart transportation and land use planning.
  • Many community comments have argued that No neighborhood should experience rapid change, but no neighborhood should experience no change. The current land use plan exempts many areas within a mile of Downtown Whitefish from any substantial chance to help meet housing needs.
  • City staff have consistently presented infill growth as a better community solution than greenfield sprawl.

There is one bullet point missing: a groundswell of community members calling on the planning commission to make specific text edits to the land use plan that would allow this needed housing in the places where it makes most sense:

Below are both Spoken and Written templates that you can use!

🗣Spoken Public Comment Template (3-minute time limit)

Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I live at [Your Address/Neighborhood. You don’t need to live in Whitefish to comment!]. I’m speaking tonight because I think that the current draft has serious problems.

 

[INSERT 3–4 SENTENCES HERE: Why does housing abundance matter to you? Are you a renter struggling to find a place? A business owner who can’t find staff? A parent worried your kids can't afford to live here? Or simply a neighbor who wants a diverse, vibrant community?]

 

The land use plan in the Growth Policy won’t succeed because it picks only a few lots to absorb almost all of the housing growth. When that doesn’t materialize, it immediately starts sprawling.

[CHOOSE 1 OF THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES TO TALK ABOUT FOR A MINUTE!]

  • No neighborhood should experience rapid change, but no neighborhood should experience no change.
  • Every property owner should have the right to contribute to increasing affordable housing.

I ask the city council to:

  • Amend the Place Types for all neighborhoods to allow more housing types like quadplexes and townhomes.
  • Make sure that 75% of the new housing is planned within a mile of Downtown Whitefish.

The Land Use Plan is very important, and I think it can’t be successful without every neighborhood contributing to the future of Whitefish.

Thank you.

Email Public Comment Template

Send to [email protected] by Monday at 4pm!

Dear Members of the City Council,

My name is [Your Name], and I live at [Your Address/Neighborhood]. I am writing because I believe the current draft of the Growth Policy contains serious issues that need to be addressed before adoption.

[INSERT 3–4 SENTENCES HERE: Why does housing abundance matter to you? Are you a renter struggling to find a place? A business owner who can’t find staff? A parent worried your kids can't afford to live here? Or simply a neighbor who wants a diverse, vibrant community?]

The Land Use Plan in the Growth Policy is unlikely to succeed because it concentrates the vast majority of future housing growth on only a small number of lots. If that expected development does not materialize, the result will be increased sprawl rather than thoughtful, incremental growth.

No neighborhood should experience rapid change, but no neighborhood should experience no change. A balanced approach—where all neighborhoods share in accommodating modest growth—will create a more resilient and equitable future for our community.

I respectfully ask the City Council to:

  • Amend the Place Types across all neighborhoods to allow a broader range of housing options, including quadplexes and townhomes.

  • Ensure that at least 75% of new housing is planned within one mile of Downtown Whitefish.

The Land Use Plan is critically important to Whitefish’s future. It cannot succeed unless every neighborhood contributes to meeting our community’s housing needs in a thoughtful and balanced way.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]