'Ledges' hearing on Wednesday

SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners are scheduled to resume deliberations Wednesday on a contested housing development planned on a hillside overlooking Morton Slough.

The public hearing on the 33-lot Ledges Over Pend Oreille project is set for 2 p.m. at the former Federal Building. The comment period remains open, although remarks will be confined to the issue of fire safety.

Commissioners put off a decision on the project earlier this month in order to obtain further information about fire access and fire mitigation plans.

Scores of neighboring residents testified against the project during the July 2 public hearing, calling on commissioners to adopt the Planing & Zoning Commission’s recommendation that the project be denied.

Opponents object to the project’s density, its proximity to the Morton Slough Game Management Area and its potential impact on wildlife and waterfowl habitat, among other things.

The project inspired the formation of Morton Slough Matters, which has launched a tenacious and comprehensive campaign to derail the project.

Project developers counter that the project is heavy on open space, light on new road construction and designed at a density which is about half of what Bonner County’s land-use code would allow.

The development’s fire safety plan is also hotly debated. The project has one road in and out and some steep grades on internal roads, which has raised questions about the accessibility of development and the safety of its inhabitants in the event of a fire.

To address the issue, developers plan to install three upland 10,000-gallon water storage tanks for fire fighting and create “safe zones” for people to congregate. Homes on the upper bench would have sprinkler systems, in addition to fire-resistant decking, roofing and siding.