REMEMBER THE PUBLIC AS WE PLAN FOR CHANGE
For 30 years I've been hearing that Sandpoint was going to be discovered. I wasn't sure. Up to now we've changed slowly as we made the transition from a natural resource economy to a still undefined new economic mix.
But now we really have been discovered. The current activity in the real estate market is testament to that. The question now is, "what do we do about it?"
Whether your family has been here for five generations or you got here yesterday, I think we have one thing in common. We all have a secret desire to put a gate on the Long Bridge. We all appreciate the beautiful natural assets of this place and want to save what is special.
My great-grandfather came through here in the late 1800s on his way to Oregon. He came back after the turn of the century and settled in the Selle Valley. Maybe he started the trend of retirees falling in love with this place and moving in.
Today, retirees and others are settling for the same reason, and, like my great-grandfather, they find living here more important than how much money they can make. We can't stop them from coming today any more than we could 50 or 100 years ago. After all, in this country we are free to move around.
The challenge is how to accommodate that freedom and keep the magic.
Some of that magic exists in the 285 acres I hope to develop as a new planned community called Dover Bay. I watched earlier proposals for this property and saw that not much was going to be given back to Dover. When I bought the property I started at the other end, asking "what can we give back and still make this project work?"
Careful planning of the entire parcel, what is called a Planned Unit Development or PUD, is the key. The land in Dover is actually 12 separate parcels. Under our system of private property rights each parcel could be developed independently. Some could be small subdivisions, others could become private estates. The public would get nothing.
My goal as a developer for many years has been to get people to the water. I was able to do that when I redeveloped a marina and warehouse into the Powerhouse, a mixed use building. I worked with others to create the boardwalk along Sand Creek and hope to see it extended to the Cedar Street Bridge. I'd like to see the whole community connected to our waterways. Once access to the water is in private hands it is hard to get it back.
At Dover Bay our plan includes a trade-off of density, or clustering of homes, for preservation and public access to the natural amenities of the site, including a beach along the river and a view park atop Tank Hill. I think the trade is well worth it.
I practically grew up at City Beach in Sandpoint. When I wasn't haying I was at the beach swimming. I remember how City Beach was built, with a lot of volunteer effort, including kids like me. There was an annual Beach Benefit Barbecue to raise money to improve the beach.
PUD developers try to recreate that sense of community. Some do it by building fences and a gate to control the environment. At Dover Bay I want to be inclusive and provide lots of public access. I think that's a better way to create community. I'd like to see people of Dover saying "how can we make this beach better?" and work with us to achieve their goals. Everybody can be involved in how their community changes, if they are willing.
Sure, I hope to make a buck on this development. But I also want to help preserve for future generations some of what I enjoyed when I was growing up here — fishing the creeks, hiking in the mountains and swimming at City Beach.
After graduating from college I went to Valdez, Alaska, to look for work. One day I was sitting in a coffee shop appreciating the spectacular view across Prince William Sound. That experience had a profound effect on me. For the price of a cup of coffee I was enjoying the same view as a guy with a million-dollar home.
Around here some of our great vistas have been locked up for exclusive use. Shouldn't we be saving some of what's left to be enjoyed for the price of a cup of coffee — or less?
Ralph Sletager, a Sandpoint native, is owner and CEO of Waterfront Property Management.