P&Z rejects hillside housing at Morton Slough

Recommendation heads to county commissioners

SAGLE - A 33-lot subdivision on a hillside overlooking Morton Slough failed to gain traction with the Bonner County Planning & Zoning Commission.

The board recommended on a 4-2 vote Tuesday that the Ledges Over Pend Oreille development be denied. The recommendation heads to the county commission for a final decision, although a hearing date is pending.

The project's one-way-in/one-way-out road access and steep slopes were factors in the planning commission's ruling, according to Planning Director Clare Marley.

“They felt that it didn't meet the requirements of code for hazards and public services in that fire equipment or emergency vehicles might not be able to get up into the property safely,” Marley said.

The commission further ruled that the planned unit development didn't meet the natural resources component of the county's comprehensive land use plan, Marley added.

Morton Slough Estates proposed the subdivision on 320 acres on the northeast side of the slough off the Pend Oreille River. The project included about 106 acres of open space. Slopes within the project ranged between 10 and 25 percent, Planning Department records indicate.

The proposal inspired nearby landowners to form Morton Slough Matters. The non-profit group contends the site is unsuitable for any kind of development and questions its proximity to the Morton Slough Game Management Area.

Morton Slough Matters hailed the planning commission's decision. The group released a statement emphasizing that protecting quality of life in Bonner County also requires preserving wildlife habitat and water quality.

“We certainly share the concerns of the commissioners for the safety of residents, but we want the voters of Bonner County also to see that the county's future is not just in land developments,” Ken Larson, co-founder of Morton Slough Matters, said in the statement.