Dover Bay ready to begin construction

DOVER — North Idaho's newest destination marina will include a waterfront village with 274 boat slips, public parks and boat launch and full marine services on the north shore of the Pend Oreille River.

Dover Bay Marina was recently given final approval by the Army Corps of Engineers. Work is under way, and the first phase of the new marina is scheduled to open as early as fall 2006.

The marina complex will include dining, a convenience store, fuel dock and coffee shop with other commercial opportunities. It will serve the public along with residents of nearby Dover Bay, an innovative four-season waterfront community unique to the region.

"It's the center for the whole community," said Ralph Sletager, owner of Dover Bay. "We laid everything out, including green open space, around it. A big part of the magic of where we live is the water. At Dover Bay, everything leads to water."

Dover Bay offers public access to thousands of feet of waterfront, nine miles of trails and several acres of parkland including a panoramic hilltop. These public amenities are all provided with private dollars.

The project was designed by Waterfront Property Manage-ment and Tom Runa of The Runa Group. Site work is being done by C.E. Kramer Construction.

The boat slips are available for lease on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Both covered and uncovered slips are available to accommodate boats from 20 to 30 feet in length. Power, water and cable are also available.

Two key aspects of Dover Bay are public access and wildlife/land protection, said Sletager.

"From the beginning, it was important to leave access for local residents and visitors," he says. "We also worked to preserve the character of the land and the wildlife by leaving a lot of it untouched."

Built on a reclaimed industrial site, Dover Bay will tend to several wetland areas, preserve endangered species and offer non-motorized access to a series of meandering creeks and three islands.

With public access growing scarcer on Idaho's lakes and rivers, this project preserves significant access for perpetuity.

A 1.66-acre public waterfront plaza and park extends to a 150-foot-long public pier with sightseeing and fishing opportunities. Both of these areas are available as a venue for public events. The marina also features a 1,724-foot public breakwater boardwalk around the perimeter of the marina.

The public also has access to a boat launch, pump out, restrooms and fueling facility.

A public walkway meanders along 1,000 feet of waterfront, joining Dover Bay's nine-mile trail network and linking to another nearby public beach with 3,000 feet of river frontage.

A waterfront plaza feature will bring the water and the marina together in a south-facing location made for sightseeing and recreation.

Public boat rentals will include paddleboats, canoes, kayaks, motorboats and sailboats. Visiting boats will be able to tie up at guest dockage, with water and electricity available.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is Idaho's first completely waterfront planned community," Sletager said. "It's also the first new marina to open on Lake Pend Oreille in quite some time."

Waterfront Property Management plans to build up to 535 homes on the 285-acre waterfront site. The plan calls for new amenities for the city of Dover itself, including parks, trails, a community hall, marina and village in this historic community three and a half miles west of downtown Sandpoint.

Uniquely situated with water on three sides, Dover Bay has more than 22,000 feet of waterfront, including nearly two miles of lakefront as well as inlets, streams, ponds and islands. More than half of the development has been set aside as protected space, comprising 157 acres. The community includes nature preserves and bike and walking trails that wind along waterfront, amid ponds and through meadows to panoramic views from atop Dover Point. Trails connect to the North Idaho Bikeways system leading to Sandpoint.

Sletager is a native of Sandpoint who has successfully developed and managed real estate through his company, Waterfront Property Management, since 1973. In 1996 he renovated the former Sandpoint Marina building, a 1910 structure, into The Old Power House which houses retail and professional office space and a restaurant. More recently he developed Holiday Shores, a 24-unit condominium project in the community of Hope on Lake Pend Oreille.

Dover Bay information is available at www.doverbayidaho.com or (208) 265-1597.