Pete Francisco sells Whitefish real estate in the Flathead Valley, where he has lived for over 17 years. After living in Colorado and Utah, his passion for the outdoors finally drew him to Montana. It didn’t take him long to realize this was a special place, and he settled down to make this area his home. Years of experience in the service industry has given Pete the ability to work well with clients and connect with people quickly. An avid skier, mountain biker, and fly fisherman, Pete’s enthusiasm for outdoor recreating has taken him all over the valley and has given him a unique and expert knowledge of the area. Whatever your passion is, Pete would love to show you what makes this area special and help you find your piece of it. To contact Pete call: 406.270.5908.
Coronavirus impacts on the Montana land market
In such times of economic uncertainly people often gravitate towards tangible investments such as gold and land. Given the health fears and social distancing caused by this crisis, land in rural western states like Montana have a particular appeal. In addition to historically being a stable and lucrative investment, land in Montana provides a physical place where owners can take refuge from the rest of the world, whether that’s global pandemics or social unrest. For years Montana land has been sought out for these reasons. The shock and uncertainty of this crisis may well lead to increased demand for physical and economic refuge in the form of investment in rural land.
The ultimate impact of the coronavirus on the Montana land market will largely depend on the length of the crisis and the depth of its economic impact. If the crisis is short-lived and the economic impact minor, we don’t expect the impact on the Montana land market to be substantial.
The slower moving land market may not have a chance to react before the crisis has largely passed. Additionally, the drive towards more stable and tangible assets that crises like this create may offset negative impacts. However, if the crisis is prolonged and if the economic impacts are severe, we will expect to see impacts on the Montana land market. Montana Land Source has the most comprehensive data tracking of Montana land listings and sales, and we look forward to reporting on actual market impacts as the year progresses. Stay tuned.
Whitefish selects firm for transportation plan study
The City of Whitefish has selected the engineering firm of KLJ to update its transportation plan.
The city is updating its transportation plan to project future improvements out to the year 2030. The current plan was created in 2009.
City Council on April 6 approved authorizing the City Manager to negotiate a contract with the engineering firm, which has an office in Kalispell, for the update. The city’s fiscal year 2020 budget includes $50,000 for the update.
Public Works Director Craig Workman said the firm is currently working with Kalispell to update its transportation plan.
“While they have not worked for the City of Whitefish on past project, we were extremely impressed with the research they completed to familiarize themselves with the city,” Workman said. “KLJ brings a diverse team with a deep background in transportation planning and we feel they will have a fresh perspective on the city’s transportation needs.”
The planning process will engage the public to identify and evaluate transportation conditions and alternate modes like biking, walking and public transit. Work on the plan will also evaluate the existing transportation conditions.