Culver's Crossing moving forward

SANDPOINT – The Sandpoint City Council has given the go-ahead for officials to move forward with the final planning phases for Culver’s Crossing.

The affordable housing subdivision is a joint effort between landowner Nancy Hadley and the Bonner County Housing Agency to aid the community with affordable housing. Culver’s Crossing is planned to have a larger density than typical housing developments containing 49 single-family dwellings that will be split into various groupings, including townhomes with a larger structure called the “Historic House” which will be a three-unit dwelling that includes a carriage house known as an “accessory dwelling."

While there are many new housing developments throughout the area, Bonner County Housing Agency's Rob Hart said the primary goal of this development is to bring affordable homes to the area for the local workforce.

The planned unit development passed its first notable hurdle back in April after the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the preliminary development plan with conditions. The PDP was not only the first step in the official approval process but established permit uses, development requirements, and the general layout of the development. Once approved, the project moved into the next phases of planning, the final development plan and preliminary plat.

At last week's council meeting, the floor was opened for a public hearing before the final vote on the FDP, marking the final step before the construction infrastructure for the development and the first phase of homes is complete. City planner Amy Tweenten presented the FDP to the council which met most of the conditions set by P&Z but does still carry some “deviations” from the city code.

Before the measure came to the city council for a hearing it first had to go through a public hearing with P&Z. Held on June 21, the commission voted to recommend approval to the city with conditions.

Since April the project has moved through several phases to ensure the conditions were met in accordance with the city code including meeting the standard of city code 10-3-6, which simplified states an allotted amount of land within a PUD be reserved for recreational space or common use open space. By adding a community park and making other adjustments this condition along with many others was met and appeared very similar to the PDP.

However, the FDP does carry the request for two deviations. City code 10-3-7 stipulates there be a 25-foot setback from all exterior boundaries, and that driveways not come within 10’ of those very same boundaries. The request is that building setbacks for two blocks within the development.

After hearing the rest of the presentation and gaining clarification the city unanimously voted to approve the final development plan and preliminary plat for Culver’s Crossing with conditions. More details to come.