Whitefish adopts zoning text changes to comply with state law; council delays immediate 60‑foot downtown heights

The Whitefish City Council adopted comprehensive text amendments to Title 11 of the Whitefish City Code on May 18 to implement the Montana Land Use Planning Act and several state bills. Planning staff said the changes update permitted and conditional uses, clarify definitions (community plan/land use plan), adjust parking and setback rules to reflect recent state law, and add development standards for specific uses.

Planning Director Dave summarized the package as an implementation of state law and the community's Vision Whitefish 2045: "These changes implement the Montana Land Use Planning Act and address several statutory requirements and housekeeping items," he said.

The package prompted detailed questions from councilors about who would be the planning/zoning administrator, how manufactured and factory‑built homes will be treated, parking requirements under HB492, and how to protect downtown character. Dozens of residents then urged more protective zoning for historic 'heritage urban' neighborhoods and asked the council to prevent 60‑foot residential buildings from altering downtown's scale.

In response to those concerns, councilors adopted an amendment that removes or delays the immediate effectiveness of new 60‑foot building allowances in downtown and closely associated zones (WB3 and targeted WB2/industrial references) until Oct. 1, 2026. The amendment—approved in a 5–1 vote—gives staff and council time to craft district‑specific standards and a final code rewrite this summer and fall.

Council then voted to approve ordinance 26‑06 as amended.

The ordinance is the first phase of a two‑part effort. Staff said the city will solicit a consultant this summer to perform a more comprehensive zoning rewrite aligning code with the Vision Whitefish 2045 place‑type maps, a process expected to continue through the fall with additional public hearings.

What changed: among other items the ordinance moves some administrative conditional uses into permitted categories where state law requires it, clarifies exemptions (e.g., amateur radio antenna heights), updates parking and setback references, and adds standards for uses such as gas stations, convenience retail, hotels, and drive‑throughs. The council's amendment specifically adds a time delay and targeted limits on 60‑foot long‑term residential allowances in downtown zones to protect the historic downtown scale through the October deadline.