Thank you for joining our growing movement to Keep Bonner County Rural!
Before we dive into what’s been happening and is upcoming, we must make a request for donations!
Please visit and share our GoFundMe campaign to help us with this important work!
Since we organized a few months ago, we have had some success – particularly with recent favorable rulings from the Planning and Zoning Commission to oppose upzoning (increased allowable density) in the Selle and Hoodoo valleys.
Soon those proposals (the Daum and Skinner rezone requests) go to the Bonner County Commission for final decisions and we need folks to write letters and turnout again!
We also are taking pro-active measures to help protect the rural character of our county.
Read on for a few specific upcoming issues in January and stay informed by joining the Keep Bonner County Rural Facebook group (when asking to join, please include that you are following our change.org page) or following Project 7B’s Facebook page.
For information on attending Planning and Zoning or Bonner County Commissioner meetings, either attend in person, or via Zoom: www.bonnercountyid.gov/departments/Planning/public-hearings
CALL TO ACTION: JAN. 12, 1:30 p.m. - SPLITTING UP the Planning and Zoning Commission-- The county has submitted an amendment to split up the Planning and Zoning Commission into two commissions, one Planning Commission and one Zoning Commission. The application claims there is not enough time to get to the Comprehensive Plan update finished and that a Zoning Commission would make time to hear the numerous land use applications while the Planning Commission would work on the Comprehensive Plan. The county claims that the public is against hiring a consultant to finish the Comprehensive Plan and also against hiring a Hearing Examiner to handle routine P&Z cases. We have asked the county to postpone a decision on this amendment until AFTER an amendment that we have filed is heard. Our amendment (read about it here) which we applied for BEFORE the county’s amendment, would greatly restrict approvals of zoning changes, and should ease the burden on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Please either attend the Jan. 12 hearing or write and email to the Planning Department and the County Commissioners by Jan. 5 and ask them to postpone this hearing, and instead schedule a public workshop to discuss alternative ideas that are already allowed by current code. This amendment is going straight to the Bonner County Commissioners without P&Z review. We are concerned that Bonner County Commissioners would rather add a new zoning commission of handpicked citizens that will be able to get the zoning increases out the door and approved, but will require more planning staff to manage and thereby grow government. AM0022-21 Information here
You can send emails to planning@bonnercountyid.gov , jeff.connolly@bonnercountyid.gov, dan.mcdonald@bonnercountyid.gov, steven.bradshaw@bonnercountyid.gov.
Thursday, JAN. 6 – abuses of the subdivision process:
· Planning and Zoning Commission Hearing: Monarch Vista Point Preliminary Plat (Garfield Bay)- 5:30 at the county building. This preliminary plat was approved in 2009 for 9 lots. Since then, the county changed the definition of urban services to include community wells rather than the requirement of being on a water system (like City of Sandpoint's water system). This allowed the property owner of Monarch Vista Point Subdivision to resubmit the application for 18 lots with community wells (doubling the density). There is no clear way to know if this doubled density will dry up the wells in the area. There are other considerations such as fire safety and road conditions. This is a prime example of how the county is facilitating more density by changing the zoning code to make it easier for developers to build more lots, in this case by changing the definition of "urban services". The lot sizes went from 1-3 acres in size down to 20,000 square foot lots.
· Lakes Commission Meeting, presentations on two controversial developments in sensitive waterfront locations: Tricore’s development in a Coolin wetland and the Idaho Club’s North Trestle Creek Marina project. The Tricore project in Priest Lake is a prime example of the abuse of the boundary line adjustment process to bypass the subdivision process. This abuse of boundary line adjustments has also occurred in the controversial Camp Bay development, where the county also gave away waterfront property to the developer to allow for a private, gated community. The Trestle Creek project is on the agenda for 11 a.m. while the Coolin project is scheduled for Noon. Register in advance for this webinar if you plan to attend virtually.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pXwRuc51TI6R4PSGKOiUHA
When: Jan 6, 2022 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Where: West Bonner County Library
JAN. 26, 1:30 p.m. - The Double Daum ---going for double density again--Hoo Doo Valley - The Daum Construction Company has not given up. They are back for a 3rd time to increase the density on a 160-acre lot from the allowed 16 lots to 32 lots. The Planning Commission has recommended denial of this application TWICE. Now it’s back before the Bonner County Commissioners at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 26. This one is important because it is clear that the proposal does not meet the requirements to amend the Comp Plan or the Zoning Map. The Planning Staff changed their minds after the BOCC pushed them and reversed course to say that the application does now suddenly meet the codes. This one is about a fishy as it gets.
File AM0018-20/ZC0015-20 Check it out here Come to the hearing and let the commissioners know that this monkey business has got to stop. Written comments on this proposal are due Jan. 19, to planning@bonnercountyid.gov
PLEASE DONATE TO KBCR’S LEGAL FUND!
We can't convince the commissioners without you AND more resources. One way you can help is to support our efforts financially – these funds will go toward legal costs to secure a top land-use attorney to advise our efforts!
You can donate to KBCR through our GoFundMe campaign.
If you would like to discuss other ways to help, please email kbcr@mail.com and let’s talk!
Thank you!
COMING SOON – Stay tuned for more updates. In February, the BOCC will rule again on whether to give away public waterfront and a public road to the developer in Camp Bay (Feb. 2), the Skinner rezone will go before BOCC (Feb. 9), and our amendment to make such upzones more difficult to justify will also have a hearing (Feb. 17).
Read Keep Bonner County Rural amendment proposed