BoCo Planning Commission recommends designating 875 acres near Priest River ‘Rural Residential’

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

The Bonner County Planning Commission on April 18 approved a Comprehensive Plan map amendment and zone change for nearly 900 acres of property recently de-annexed from the city of Priest River, designating the area Rural Residential and approving five- and 10-acre minimums on what is currently being used largely as farmland.

The land in question — identified as approximately 875 acres located off Highway 2 just east of Priest River city limits — was designated Resort Community and Transition on the county’s Comp Plan map, and had no listed zoning after being de-annexed from Priest River about two years ago. Bonner County initiated both the map amendment and zone change because, according to the zone change application, “zoning is necessary so property owners are afforded the same property rights as other landowners of Bonner County.”

“We don’t have the ability to deny applications or apply any zoning standards to unzoned properties,” said Planning Director Jake Gabell in the Planning Department’s presentation to commissioners April 18. “If an applicant came in with 5,000-square-foot lots, I couldn’t tell them ‘no.’”

Gabell said that through workshops with property owners, a Rural Residential land designation was determined best suited for the land, which is surrounded by Rural Residential and Ag-Forest lots.

“We were looking at more density, given the proximity to the city and the availability of urban services … then when we got the input from the community, R-5 seemed more appropriate,” Gabell said.

Public comment on both the map amendment and zone change files contributed by a handful of neighbors centered on concerns about future development of the property affecting water access, wildlife and “rural character.” Planning commissioners noted that the files before the board April 18 were not about development — a point that Priest River Mayor and former Bonner County Commissioner Jeff Connolly and his brother, landowner John Connolly, drove home during their comments.

“We’re not developing anything — we’re just trying to make it where it makes sense,” John said. “We’re not promoting development.”

While planning staff found the map amendment and zone change both in line with county code, some commissioners worried that the heavily sloped northeastern portion of the property, consisting mostly of timberland, did not fall under the Rural Residential land designation or R-5/R-10 parcel minimum requirements.

“There’s a reason why we focus on steep slopes being lower density,” said Planning Commissioner Dave Frankenbach. “There are issues with wildfire hazard that comes with steep slopes, and access … There’s a pretty clear connection between looking at places with steep slopes and saying ‘we want those to be lower density.’”

Planner Daniel Britt pushed back on Frankenbach’s comments, noting that under the land’s current Resort Community and Transition designation, “we’re talking 4,000-square-foot lots [being allowed] up there.”

“That’s not a relevant comment,” Frankenbach rebutted. “What we should be doing is [considering] what’s the best fit based on what the Comp Plan reads today, and the way the zoning ordinance reads today.”

A motion to recommend the map amendment to the board of county commissioners for final approval failed after several planning commissioners echoed Frankenbach’s concerns. A second motion, which amended the findings of fact to acknowledge “mapped slopes that appear to be up to and even greater than 30%,” passed on a 5-2 vote, officially designating the 875 acres Rural Residential.

Despite discussion about amending the proposed zoning change to make the sloped area Ag-Forest with 10- and 20-acre minimums, the commission voted 6-1 to approve planning staff’s recommendation to designate the bulk of the property Rural-5, with those sloped portions in the northeastern corner identified as Rural-10.

“The Rural-5 designation is

<SKATE,con’tfromPage5> thing from the James E. Russell Sports Center, skatepark to the play fields, bike tracks and other elements — available for a public meeting that the city will be announcing on Wednesday, May 17, as well as at the council meeting that day.

Meanwhile, she added, “There is a plan that when construction begins this spring on the sports center, the playground will be temporarily relocated to another location at the front end of the park — there will be a playground for the community during construction and there will be a reconstruction in 2024. It is not true that there will be no playground for four years.”

Despite such assurances, residents testified at the April 19 meeting of the City Council that they opposed many of the plans for Travers Park — including lifelong locals for whose father, Frank Travers, the park is named.

“He worked so hard to be a voice in the lives of young chil- made for rural character and the ability [for] agricultural pursuits,” said Planning Commissioner Matt Linscott before the vote. “So, when someone says that you cannot have rural character on a five, our own zoning code says that’s what it’s for: rural character, as well as agricultural pursuits.” dren,” said Theresa Stevens, referring to her father, “so I’m hoping the park that was named after him would be reserved for young people. If there’s a big tennis building there, it’s going to take away from the space for children.”

Likewise, John Travers noted that his father was known for being a baseball coach and taking care of the parks. He said he’d rather see it remain a ballpark, “not a big building that has taken up the space for kids to play.”

“We need more parks — maybe move it someplace close, but keep the park the way it is,” he said.

Finally, Monica Gunter — who also identified herself as Monica Travers-Gunter — said that while the Russell family are “very good friends of ours” and the gift to the city for the James E. Russell Sports Center was “generous,” “We want this gift to take footing someplace else other than over the playground at Travers Park.”

Describing the multi-court sports facility concept as a “wonderful, generous, but awful large building,” she suggested at least moving the center to the back of the park.

The de-annexed property just east of Priest River, which the Bonner County Planning Commission recommended designating “Rural Residential” April 18. The property in question is in purple above. Map courtesy Bonner County Planning Department.

“Travers park is a blessing to this community and we just want it to stay the way it is, or at least the aesthetics of what it is,” Gunter added. “Travers Park needs to stay as Travers Park is now.”

The timeline for the project will be discussed in more detail April 20, though Nevins-Lavtar said, “The schedule isn’t 100% final and things could change if Dreamland thinks it would make sense.”

“Everyone, including myself, can’t wait to see this project completed,” she added.

More information on the Travers Park redevelopment plans are available on the city’s website at sandpointidaho.gov/your-government/departments/parks-recreation, as well as bit.ly/3MZzgPu Register to participate virtually in the April 20 meeting at bit. ly/41q4Bzc or visit sandpointidaho.gov/your-government/meetings

Bouquets:

•Most small business owners in Sandpoint understand the constant struggle to stay afloat. With online shopping and big box stores taking a larger portion of our consumer dollars than ever before, it’s an important time to remind everyone to support your local retailers. What many may not realize is that our small business owners are often asked to donate prizes to raffles for nonprofit fundraisers, or perhaps they’re asked to open their business to support a school event, or a fundraiser to help a worthy organization. It’s no different here at the Reader — even though we rarely turn a profit, we’re continually asked to donate free ads or sponsor local events, and we continue to do so even if it means another month of scraping by. You can help return the favor by patronizing our local retailers’ businesses, or buying an ad in the Reader or convincing someone else to forgo their online shopping order and buy local. After all, Amazon and Walmart don’t give a hoot about our community. Small business owners do. Let’s not forget that.

Barbs:

• I was driving north of town last weekend and saw a veritable minefield of debris that had fallen out of vehicles. There was a gas can, a couple of trash cans, one lawn chair, and countless plastic bags and random junk either littering the shoulder or, more often, sticking out into the lane of traffic. Then I witnessed a pickup losing a trash can from its bed, which fell and bounced on the highway at 65 miles per hour right in front of a semi truck, which swerved and barely missed it. I never saw the pickup slow down, probably because the driver hadn’t noticed they lost their can. It’s springtime, which means everyone is cleaning up their homes, their yards and taking loads to the dump. Please secure your load! It’s not just unsightly to see large debris littering our highways, but it can be very dangerous. Even if you’re just driving a mile down the road, make sure to strap down your load and ensure any loose debris will make it to the dump.

Victim or vigilante?…

Dear editor, Regarding the recent fatal shooting incident in Coeur d’Alene, in my opinion, the shooter — Mr. James Dean — being armed tells me he was carrying a weapon demonstrating “a just in case mentality.” Yes, the man he shot and killed — as the story goes — was doing something suspicious. So why didn’t Mr. Dean call the police before the situation escalated? His reaction endangered anyone who might have been in the vicinity. The story also shows Mr. Dean as the victim, which many who read about it would probably agree. It seems this was nothing more than an act of vigilantism. Scary!

Thank you!

Jo Reitan Sandpoint

Dear editor, The best Reader ever. Maybe because I spent the week in Seattle/ Tacoma. But really! So fresh and sassy! Love my town.

Orin Miller Sandpoint

Dear editor, We all have an opinion on how to fix our country. Most of us fight for our freedom, family and friends, but at the end of the day what, are we really fighting for? It’s not necessarily a physical battle but a spiritual one. A fight between good and evil. Are we as a country willing to stand up for the right thing, even when it’s hard? “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

Remember, “Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight.” Even when it was hard for them, they gave their lives for us! We can stand up for America! Remember who the real enemy is: Satan.

Lauryn Bowlin, age 15 Spirit Lake

Trucks back in downtown?...

Dear editor, Some people are happy about the proposed move of the Church stop light to Fifth and Pine. Do we even know the configuration of the movements at that corner? I don’t.

What I do know is that secreted in Appendix A of the Multimodal Transportation Master Plan (MTMP) is a map that shows Pine to the Byway and back will once again be a through truck route. And there will be new stoplights at First and Pine and Superior and First. Why? The city tells us that those lights are going to reduce cut-through traffic in south Sandpoint on Lake, Superior and South Boyer. Really? Lights don’t make traffic flow like a roundabout does — they only guarantee you passage through an intersection. To avoid lights is why people cut through town.

What does through truck traffic on Pine to and from the Byway (which was built in part to make a way for trucks to get through town) do for us? More waiting at lights. Belching diesel fumes at intersections. In the case of Fifth and Pine, probably a lot of trees will be going down to make the light visible.

For good measure, the city has thrown in a curve/couplet, closing off parts of Oak, Church and Boyer, and First Avenue at Bridge and Church! So Sandpoint City Council — take a fresh look at your MTMP. Get the trucks off Pine to the Byway and back and don’t put a whole bunch of stop lights in that aren’t warranted by the data. And tell staff to stop negotiating with ITD for a project (curve/couplet) that isn’t warranted, according to ITD, until maybe 2040! Write and call council and show up at the May 3 council meeting to say no!

Carrie Logan Sandpoint

Dear editor, I want to take a minute and recognize Rep. Sage Dixon and Jacqueline Simpkins, of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, for their timely assistance recently with an issue I was having with the local Ponderay office. Thank you both for your time and understanding of this issue, it was greatly appreciated.

Bill Litsinger Sandpoint

Retain Susan Shea’s leadership on library board…

Dear editor,

Let me take a moment to talk about our library, and specifically how much I hope to see Susan Shea reelected to its board.

Like all Sandpoint residents, I love our library. I love the enormous, well-curated collection, especially the digital collection that’s kept me company on long business trips. I love the programs and community services, which I used recently to get my ham radio license. I’m an engineer, so I love the makerspace and the opportuni- ties the library is providing to kids wanting to enter STEAM fields.

Most of all, as a citizen of Sandpoint, I love how the library is able to provide all these fantastic amenities inside a tight, thorough and well-controlled budget. Let’s not forget: the library hasn’t needed to increase its budget, and has still been able to expand its offerings.

Susan Shea deserves a huge amount of credit for the steady, intelligent and thoughtful leadership she’s provided in her tenure to date as a member of the library board. I, for one, would love to see that leadership continue, so that we can continue to have the library we all love and the responsible governance of it that we all deserve.

Hal Gates Sandpoint

W. BoCo School District needs to refocus on education, not levies…

Dear editor, WBCSD No. 83 “trustees” seem to forget their job is to give property owners in their district the best educational bang for their taxes, raised by many levy voters who don’t even own property.

When programs make people feel warm and fuzzy, but don’t improve students’ lot in life, they are a waste of money. This board needs to redirect spending and put students on a healthier track to bettering their futures, since they are spending more money per student than any other school in North Idaho.

People can spin the levy’s impact on the area, but they never mention that about 40% of this district is populated by trees and wildlife. In the end, it is all about how much they spend on each student in their charge and how well it’s spent toward education.

I believe this board hasn’t considered any cuts, thinking they can run the levy once more this year for the previous levy’s $3.4 million and it will pass should their $4.7 million levy fail. They might even have a hard time getting a $3.4 million levy to pass with the tight budgets many of this district’s voters are experiencing.

Why not cut non-producing programs, center on education and lower the tax burden? So far, all I see is a majority of this board moving ahead with blinkered visions for the future, while two of the members use logic and common sense in their votes.

Like most voters, I too have questions. With an average of 12.5 students per teacher in WBCSD No. 83, what are class sizes with the lower numbers from student enrollment losses? It must be said that other North Idaho districts have a higher student-to-teacher average than WBCSD No. 83, yet our ISAT scores have not improved.

Bill O’Neil Priest River

‘Either council votes no, or council must go’...

Dear editor,

On May 3, the Sandpoint City Council will consider a significant redesign to Boyer Avenue and Highway 2 that will not have been adequately vetted by the community. This traffic proposal, known obscurely as “Figure 23 Amendment,” has changes you want to understand and weigh in on, because they will absolutely impact your daily commute, be that by car, truck, bike or foot.

It not only includes big changes to Boyer Avenue, it includes “the Curve” from years past, now called “the Couplet.” And whether good or bad (we just don’t know), these decisions are yours as citizens to consider.

Hence the reason I write. You’ll be hard pressed to find the proposed Figure 23 Amendment and the changes to Boyer that the council will vote on May 3 — let alone understand them. Hint: They are not in the Multimodal Master Plan or its appendices. As community members who contribute to the economy, use the roads and pathways, and make up the fabric of this town, it is your right to be included when major traffic revisions are being voted on. And more importantly, be included in the creation of those designs well before they go to vote.

The public came out in big numbers against this and asked for more information, but when hit with a brutal late-evening meeting that didn’t include public input, and now a disingenuous open house, diluted by the Comp Plan, the public is further upset and wary.

Until substantial and inclusive public outreach takes place, it would be careless for council to vote on this and it should go back on the shelf where it came from.

Please write council today and ask them to either vote “no” on the Figure 23 Amendment May 3, or don’t bring it to a vote at all.

Molly McCahon Sandpoint