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Stories for ActionAuthor: Lara Tomov
Stories for Actions mission is to spark connection around a thriving environment and strong communities. Join us for conversations with people taking bold steps, bridging divides, and creating calls to action; helping you find your role in fostering a healthy world. Find out more at www.StoriesforAction.org. Stories for Action produces documentary films, this podcast, and hosts story workshops. Language: en Genres: Documentary, Education, Self-Improvement, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The City of Whitefish; planning in the midst of class gentrification in Montana
Episode 20
Tuesday, 3 June, 2025
This is a follow-up episode to our 2024 episode on Housing in Montana. In that episode, we covered various facets of the housing crisis, to show the complexities that exist and paths of action forward. In the episode, we looked at the process that Whitefish was taking to update their growth policy, with the housing crisis and growing pains being especially heightened there, as it has fully become a resort town, pushing working class locals out. Whitefish has been going through a thorough public input process over the past year, to inform the growth policy. Recently, a small special interest group proposed their own version of the Economic Development chapter of the growth policy, with several edits and censorships from the original. On May 21st, two weeks ago, the Whitefish Community Development Board voted to adopt this new draft, which many believe undermines the public's feedback and discredits the lengthy public input process. In this episode, we hear more about these happenings, and the larger story that it tells about wealth pushing local people out of their communities, transparent local planning, and having honest conversations about the impacts of high end tourism. This episode is largely to inform Whitefish residents of the changes, to contribute to their own research and engagement. And the episode can speak to communities everywhere, as similar degrees of pressures are being felt nation-wide. We also hear from Nathan Dugan, Co-Founder of ShelterWF, about these recent events. ShelterWF is a grassroots organization in Whitefish, MT, advocating for policies & engagement that ensures communities and housing opportunities for working class folks in the Flathead Valley. LINKS: Vision Whitefish 2045 - Engage Whitefish-Growth Policy Update, join email newsletter, submit comments ShelterWF, also on Instagram Northwest Montana Tenants Union, also on Instagram Housing Whitefish, also on Instagram Whitefish Community Development Board Meeting May 2025, Part 1 Whitefish Community Development Board Meeting May 2025, Part 2 Whitefish Pilot article on recent CDB Meeting Whitefish Citizen Portal File for Flathead County City Councils (Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls), deadline June 11th 2025 Housing in Montana - Stories for Action podcast episode, 2024 Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to spark positive action for people and place. Learn more about our film production, podcast, and story workshops for non-profit organizations: StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction #whitefish #whitefishmt #whitefishmontana #flathead #columbiafalls #kalispell #flatheadvalley #flatheadcounty #housing #Montana #housingcrisis #affordablehousing #406 #sustainability #economy #economicdevelopment #housingpressures #rental #housingcrunch #community #tourism #thinklocal
