Welcome to 2023 in Bonner County.  It’s a new year, we have a new Board of County Commissioners, and we’re still in the fight for responsible Land-Use Policy.  We’re somewhat hopeful that with two new commissioners we’ll start getting decisions that are on behalf of the People rather than rubber-stamping everything developers bring in.  We’ll be watching closely and will keep you apprised.

In case you fall asleep before getting through to the end, in addition to this being an update, it is also an appeal for donations – but I want you to know what we’re doing with the funds.

Currently we are working on 3 projects of note, one of which – the Selle Valley 714-acre rezone - is scheduled for a judicial hearing on Feb. 17, right around the corner. 

We are also working with the folks in the Blanchard area fighting a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) granted to a developer to put 20 – yes you read that right twenty – RV’s on a lot just under 5 acres, in a Rural Residential 5 acre minimum zone, as “affordable” housing.  Just what we all need. If this developer is successful, RV Parks could easily become popular money makers for the development community. Imagine having an RV Park next to you. They currently are allowed in all rural zones.

KBCR has remained committed to our rural community by offering our expertise in many other cases but the two that we have taken to court are the Selle Rezone and the RV Park because they affect the entire county in adverse ways.

The Selle Valley Rezone, granted by the BOCC last year, against the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission.  After exhausting the appeals process at the county level, we requested judicial review, and have been going through that process since summer 2022.  We are opposed not only by the County but by the property owner Skinner, who is involved as an intervenor (an intervenor is an entity not party to the action but directly affected by the outcome).

We’ve put together an excellent case and I expect to win.  The opposition has not generated anything substantive; their case so far has been to claim we didn’t file timely and that we don’t have standing.  Both efforts failed.  

Unfortunately we have run up significant legal bills during this fight, and most of the cost has been borne by a handful of donors paying far more than their fair share.

It is important to note that while each of these battles is for what can be perceived as only affecting a few neighbors of the property in question, the reality is they are all precedent setting.  If Skinner is allowed to rezone his property from 20 acre minimums to 10 acre minimums with no justification other than wanting to, then the floodgates will open and we’ll see 5 acre minimums across the entire county in short order, then one acre, then small lots. This is how the rezone game works.

Right now, he can legally subdivide his 714 acres into 35 lots, and we have no issue with that – it’s what the law allows.  If he gets the rezone, he can then subdivide to 71 lots.  While 35 lots would no doubt alter the character of the Valley, 71 would be devastating.  Remember – each lot can legally have one ADU (accessory dwelling unit) and 2 RVs – so potentially 4 dwelling units per lot X 71 lots or 284 dwelling units, and roughly 2,556 vehicle trips per day. Imagine the effect on water, traffic, Northside Elementary School, Northside Fire, noise, light, etc.

If you want to keep Selle Valley and the rest of the rural parts of the County rural, please step up and make a donation.  We cannot carry out our mission without lawyers, and they cost money.  And if you aren’t in Selle Valley, remember that if this one goes through it will be in your area next, and if that happens it will be too late.  Now is the time to send that message to the big developers that we will fight them and that we want to keep our county rural.

Please visit www.keepbonnercountyrural.org and click the DONATE button.

or click here 

Please note:  The figure you see that has been donated so far other than the last few donations, has already been spent paying legal bills – it’s not what we have on hand.  We anticipate being billed another $10,000 or so for the Selle Valley case, so that is our current goal.

Or send a check to:

Keep Bonner County Rural

PO BOX 1984

Sandpoint, ID 83864

As always, thanks for reading.

Dave Bowman

Chairman, KBCR.