Council faces busy agenda

SANDPOINT — The last regularly-scheduled council meeting of the year should keep members busy before they break for the holidays.

A variety of topics are up for discussion at the 5:30 p.m. meeting set for Wednesday, Dec. 18 at Sandpoint City Hall, including dog parks, zoning considerations and an update to the local building code.

Ongoing work on local zoning is the biggest item of old business council members will address. At the beginning of the month, council members decided to forgo authorizing new mixed-use residential zoning codes for the time being. The decision followed objections from some local residents, who worried the proposed code’s increased flexibility for neighborhood or home-based businesses could disrupt peace and quiet in some areas.

At the advice of Planning and Zoning Director Jeremy Grimm, however, council members decided to change Westwood Village from Professional Office to Residential Single Family zoning and areas near Bonner General Hospital from Professional Office to Commercial A zoning. Because these zoning codes have already been authorized, Grimm said it was best to update those areas immediately while council members work with the Planning and Zoning Commission to retool mixed-use residential regulations. Council members will vote on the ordinance making those zoning transitions official on Wednesday.  

Later in the evening, a public hearing will take place for what will be a fairly routine updating of Sandpoint’s building standards. Like most cities through the United States, Sandpoint uses the International Building Code to govern regulations for local construction projects. Council members will vote to adopt the most recent version of the code with some small exceptions that don’t apply to Sandpoint or its system of building administration.

 Council members will also consider a request to move a power pole blocking an alley and receive an update on the Selkirk Loop Interpretive Center — a planned rest area near the southbound off-ramp of the Sand Creek Byway.

Finally, Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff will propose some slight changes to established dog-friendly parks as well as recommend a dogs-with-leashes policy for Humbird Mill Park and the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail.