James Bakke donated land to the city of Whitefish for use as a park. Bakke the artist can be seen around Whitefish and may be best viewed in the book by Whitefish resident Donna Hopkins. I recommend you visit the park on West Seventh and review his work.
Maybe I’ve seemed too accommodating to the the interests of developers. I can wax eloquently regarding the cities growth plan, infield development for residential/ resort usage and conditional use permitting. I’ve knocked on a lot of doors in a lot of neighborhoods. Many people believe that the city is annoyingly overcrowded and the volume of resort orientated development has reached a level that places the interests of many citizens below the interests of project applicants. The growth plan might be looked as the bible for predicting the type of growth we will experience. The zoning attempts to meet the Plan’s goals by providing orderly, objective outcomes. A planned unit development or PUD is an overlay to zoned parcel allowing flexibility and the trading of outcomes and density (mixing commercial applications and affordable housing units as examples within a PUD). The aforementioned does not necessarily result in harmonious projects in the eyes of the public, nor in public safety (the capacity of Wisconsin Ave?). Property owners choose uniquely different paths in their aspirations for a project. I’ve been told by a very good source that the developer of the mixed use housing project on Monegan Road is working on a low profit margin to deliver deed restricted, higher end of the affordability equation housing for Whitefish workers. If so, your willingness to address affordability is appreciated.
In my opinion, The Quarry, across from Alpine Market fails to serve the greater public interest when scrutinized for permanent housing, affordability, and public safety. Possibly the zoning was an improper application of the growth plan. Possibly the powers to be failed to adequately up date the growth plan to consider capacities of our community…capacities of our roads, capacity of our waste water treatment plant, and possibly most importantly, the opinions of our residents.
Back to Bakke. I think Mr. Bakke was one of those old timers, lacking the ostentatious ways of contemporary society. You read about unassuming people who die and leave millions of dollars to charitable organizations. They quietly saved and wisely invested their modest incomes. Bakke chose not to “commoditize” his assets, specifically the land on Seventh Street West.
Visit the park Mr. Bakke left for we the people. We politicians will try to convince MDT and the County that Wisconsin is over capacity. Vote wisely and continue to question authority.