Open house, hearing set for comp plan

SANDPOINT — Amendments to Bonner County's comprehensive plan map and its land use component will be considered by county commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The meeting, which will be followed by a public hearing, is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. in the Sandpoint Community Hall, located at 204 First Ave.

The commission has scheduled an open house for the first two hours of the meeting to give people time to review maps and documents prior to the 6 p.m. public hearing. Landowners are encouraged to bring their tax parcel numbers, deeds or other information to pinpoint their property on the proposed and existing comp plan maps, aerial photographs and topographic maps. Planning Department staff and other officials will be available to answer questions and discuss the draft amendments.

Bonner County's 27-year-old comprehensive plan map was amended in 1995 in a county-wide revision that addressed lands which were zoned suburban. A second amendment took place last week, when the commission approved a citizen-initiated map amendment needed for a 500-unit housing development and golf course planned for east of Priest River called "The Settlement."

The current proposed amendment is the first revision to the map that encompasses the whole county.

The county has been updating the 1978 comp plan for the last 10 years. Various other components and resource-based maps covering topics such as soils, population distribution, services and hydrology have been adopted over the past several years.

The land use map is one of the last steps to complete the updates to the original plan. The proposed land use map will lead to land use code revisions and updates to the county zoning map in the future.

The current land use map provides five land designations ranging in densities from a quarter-acre to 5 acres per dwelling unit. The existing map calls for high-density development, industrial and commercial uses along an estimated half- to one-mile swath of the county's lakes and waterways. The proposed map sets forth 10 map designations, which include urban, recreational and transitional/commercial designations of up to 2.5 acres in density to agricultural and forest land designations of 20 acres and larger for remote, service-less areas of the county.

Included in the revised map is an "Alpine Community," reflecting request from Schweitzer Mountain landowners to devise new standards for the particular challenges of the higher-elevation and higher density developments. A "Prime Ag/Forest Land" designation has also been added in response to testimony from area ranchers and farmers desiring to preserve agricultural lands in the county.

The county's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended adoption of the land use component, text and map at its July 14 public hearing.

? The draft map and land use component can be viewed at the Planning Department office or on its section of the county's Web site (www.co.bonner.id.us). Written comment on the proposed revisions can be mailed to the department (127 First Ave. South, Sandpoint ID. 83864), faxed (265-1463) or e-mailed (planning@co.bonner.id.us).