Farmin’s landing

PARK TO HIGHLIGHT DOWNTOWN’S HIDDEN ASSET

by Trish Gannon

It can be hard to keep up with the improvements going on in Sandpoint’s city parks. War Memorial Field has been resurfaced, a new grandstand and boat launch has been built, and plans are underway on a water-accessible dog park next door. An amazingly generous donation will be building indoor court facilities at Travers. And now the city has turned its eye towards Farmin’s Landing, currently a bleak, back-door parking and delivery area that nonetheless fronts on one of the city’s greatest assets: Sand Creek. So what lies in wait?

The answer is TBD—to be determined—but that determination is now underway, and helping to guide the process is one of the nation’s finest designers of public spaces, Don Stastny. An architect and urban designer as well as an innovator in the design process, he’s considered to be one of the leading design competition managers in North America, with previous work that included memorials on the National Mall in Washington D.C., as well as managing design competitions for the memorials for the Oklahoma City bombing, and the tragic fate of Flight 93.

Stastny is working with a variety of people representing those interested in the development of Farmin’s Landing, including city staff, tribal representatives, downtown businesses, local environmental groups with a focus on maintaining the water quality of Sand Creek, and adjacent property owners to develop the criteria a future designer of the area will have to meet. That criteria needs to include not only public use but stormwater management, parking, and the delivery needs of those businesses. “The goal is to ensure ... the development criteria is aligned with the city vision that is determined by our citizens,” said Jennifer Stapleton, city administrator. “Citizens have communicated that protection of natural resources is a priority, as is access to the lake; our design and focus is to ensure the public owns the waterfront.”

With those plans now underway, property owners with their back on the park are looking at building improvements as well.

At one end of the 200 block of First Avenue, plans are in process to replace the historic buildings that burned to the ground in 2019. The One Bridge Street project was unveiled in the summer with speculative drawings intended to draw investors to what will be a multi-story retail and residential building, but the plans immediately drew the ire of some in town who felt the five-story building (plus subterranean parking) shown in the drawings did not jibe with the feel of downtown Sandpoint. Of course, given the variety of building styles in the city over the decades, it’s hard to say how that “feel” translates to architecture. But city spokespeople were quick to point out that plans for what will actually be built have not yet been submitted, and will have to go through a planning and approval process that will ensure the building will meet standards being developed for the rest of town.

Because the area is classed as an Opportunity Zone, special tax benefits are available for investors who choose to purchase any of the condo units that are planned as part of the building. (Learn more about the project at www.onebridgestreet.com.)

Kathy Friedmann is looking at how we keep what makes this community special while moving forward into the future. Kathy, along with her husband William, are long-time residents and business owners in Sandpoint. Friedmann is the owner of Zero Point Crystals and also owns the building on that side of First Avenue, along with several other properties in Sandpoint. She’s also a member of the committee looking to develop design criteria for Farmin’s Landing. “I’m super excited to be a part of that,” said Friedmann, who wants to see the community working together for the future of downtown. “That’s such an underutilized asset. Everyone loves Sand Creek, right? It’s great that we’re looking at how to make improvements, while embracing what we love about it.”

Businesses will likely want to develop or improve their property so that Sand Creek can become a part of the business and their customers’ experience. The committee’s work should help to set a standard with which they can work.

PREVIOUS PAGE: THE VIEW OF FARMIN’S LANDING FROM THE WALKING PATH ON SAND CREEK. ABOVE: CURRENTLY THE AREA IS A RATHER BLEAK PARKING LOT. STAFF PHOTOS.

Your Hometown Mover

SandpointMovers.com

Professional Movers

208.265.5506