First Land Use Visioning Survey

Vision Whitefish 2045: Future Land Use Map

The Future Land Use Map is one element of the Growth Policy, showing where different kinds of development should go and how Whitefish will grow over the next 20 years. To build this map, planners and residents work with two key building blocks: Place Types and Street Types. Place Types describe the overall character of an area—such as whether it is a quiet residential neighborhood, a bustling mixed-use district, or a commercial corridor—while Street Types define how people move through those areas, from major regional roads to small neighborhood streets. By pairing these two frameworks , the plan links land use with transportation, ensuring a more complete understanding of the different land uses in Whitefish. This integrated approach makes the Future Land Use Map more than just colors on paper—it becomes a framework for updating zoning and other regulations to turn that vision into reality. The city aims to bring the next iteration of the Future Land Use map back to the public for review by late 2025 and adopt the new plan by spring 2026, in line with state requirements.

September 2025 Community Workshop: Place Types and Street Types

In mid-September 2025, the city hosted community visioning workshops focused on the Land Use Plan element of the Growth Policy. At two well-attended evening sessions, residents sat down with city staff and planning consultants to talk about how different areas of Whitefish are now, and how they should look and feel in the future. During the exercise, residents literally sketched on large maps of Whitefish, drawing and labeling these Place Types and Street Types across the city. This collaborative mapping helped gather local knowledge about which areas have a certain character and how people would like them to evolve. This online survey is the companion engagement to those workshops.

THE PURPOSE OF THE ONLINE SURVEY  

This survey is designed to give every resident a chance to share your perspective about different parts of our community. For each highlighted area on the map, you will be asked what Place Type you think most accurately defines this area moving forward.  Similarly, you will be asked what Street Type best defines streets identified on the map.  

The following are some sample Place Types that were presented at the in-person workshops held in September.  For the following questions regarding Place Types, you may select one of the following sample Place Types or select "other" and define the Place Type for the area identified on the map with greater specificity.  

• Urban Neighborhood – smaller residential lots, walkable / grid blocks, sidewalks, detached or no garages, etc.
• Sub-urban Neighborhood – larger residential lots, curvilinear streets, attached garages, etc.
• Mixed-use District / Downtown – dense and walkable urban areas with a mix of commercial, storefronts, office and / or residential uses
• Commercial Corridors / Nodes - primarily commercial uses
• Rural – low density, dispersed development, with land generally used for farms, forest, or open space
• Other - anything else that better describes this area:  ___________________________
• I don’t know.  

The same format applies to the questions regarding Street Types: you may select one of the following sample Street Types or select “other” and define the Street Type for the street identified on the map with greater specificity.  

• Regional / City Corridor – a high-volume street that moves automobiles through the city while connecting to areas outside of the city, suburban style buildings with parking lots
• Community Corridor – a medium- to high-volume street with a focus on moving automobiles across the city, pedestrian and bikes are accommodated but are secondary, with a mix of building types
• District Corridor – a well-balanced street that accommodates all users (including pedestrians and bikes) well, complete streetscape, on-street parking in some locations, buildings close to the street, with parking to the side or rear
• Other - anything else that better describes this street:  ___________________________
• I don’t know.

THE SURVEY

The survey is brief—about 10–15 minutes.

• Place Types: There are six areas identified. We ask three questions (one optional) about each area
• Street Types: There are five streets identified. We ask two questions (one optional) about each street.
• Final Question: One optional, open-ended question for any additional input.

Your responses will help shape the Future Land Use Map for the City of Whitefish!