COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County commission on Thursday split 2-1 on a vote related to a controversial condominium-hotel project along Lake Coeur d'Alene at Neachen Bay.

While the commission majority approved the proposed Gozzer Bay Resort plat, one of the conditions added by the commissioners requires considerably more parking than developers envisioned for the 4-acre lot.

The vote came down to whether commissioners thought the use would actually be compatible with the commercial zoning of the property.

Commissioners Todd Tondee and Dan Green decided the project is commercial, given two of the conditions they attached to the project.

One requires that the planned 15 condominium-motel units be available for rent at least 183 days per year. A second requires that a separate on-site reservations office be operating before a certificate of occupancy is granted on any of the units.

Commissioner Jai Nelson didn't agree with her fellow commissioners, even with the conditions.

"The question comes down to what's the primary use," she said. "I feel like it's more a residential-condominium use."

Discovery Land Co., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and known in Coeur d'Alene for its Gozzer Ranch golf and lake club project, is seeking to develop the 15 large, individually owned condominiums. The units will be placed into a rental pool for half the year, though it's not clear what months and at what cost.

Andy Holloran, vice president of development for Discovery, declined to comment after the commissioners' decision.

The units would range in size from approximately 3,500 square feet to more than 5,000 square feet of livable space. The units, mostly two stories but some going up to three, would be valued between $2 million and $4 million each.

Discovery had planned to have 34 parking spaces for the resort. Fifteen would be for the 15 condo-hotel units, and 15 for the adjacent commercial marina, which has 30 slips.

The other spots would be for employees and for handicapped guests.

The commissioners decided the condo-hotel itself would need 37 parking spaces. That would provide two parking spaces for each of the 15 units, five for guests and two employees. The 37 spots would have to be in addition to any parking for the marina.

Fitting the extra parking into Discovery's plan for the lot now looks more difficult.

"It was squeezed as tight as they could fit it before" the commissioners' decision, said Scott Brown, a land-use planner who represented a group of people opposed to Discovery's plan. "They're going to have to redesign" the project.

The redesign might include fewer units.

The site for the proposed resort was a recreational-vehicle park in the past. Recently the property has been used for recreation by people from Gozzer Ranch.

"Gozzer has been arrogant in the way they have treated the neighbors," said Marlo Faulkner, a Coeur d'Alene resident who owns a float house on Neachen Bay. "They are defiant in reaction to community needs."

She also said the project doesn't conform with the surrounding area.

Neachen Bay was long known as Squaw Bay. The new name was approved by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names in 2007.