SANDPOINT - The Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a permit Thursday enabling the expansion of the Alpine Cedar sawmill.

Alpine Cedar sought a new conditional use permit to construct seven new structures for warehousing finished and raw inventory, drying and manufacturing wood products, and office space. The company uses semi-processed softwoods and hardwoods to produce specialty products such as grilling planks, planter boxes and gazebos.

The expansion is forecasted to ultimately add 20 additional year-round jobs with livable wages over the next five years, according to Taylor Bradish, resource coordinator for Alpine Cedar.

Milling operations at the East Shingle Mill Road facility date back more than 50 years, but the expansion plan is not without mixed feelings as residential development increased in the Selle Valley over the years.

Neighboring landowners raised concerns about increased noise, lighting, traffic, smoke, dust and intensity of use at the mill site.

"The main thing is the smoke and traffic coming in and out," said Terry Ford, who told planning commissioners that smoke from the mill has made his asthma more problematic.

The mill's hours of operations, meanwhile, have abraded peace and quiet in the valley, which boasts abundant wildlife and expansive views of the Selkirk Mountains.

The facility's prior permit effectively allowed it to operate without time constraint because of a clause that enabled after-hours manufacturing due to production demands.

"We have received complaints about the hours of operation," said Dan Carlson, a senior planner at the Bonner County Planning Department.

Bradish said most forest product manufacturers rely on a two-shift system and emphasized that Alpine Cedar has worked to be responsive to neighbors' concerns by erecting a retaining wall and installing equipment housing to mute and muffle mill noise.

"We're listening to the neighbors and we're making an effort," said Bradish. "When they come to us we listen."

Alpine offered to cease noisy dust-handling equipment and outdoor forklift work after 8 p.m. However, the company sought limited weekend operations and the ability to work outside its 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekday operations window if need be.

"There needs to be some sort of cap on that. It can't be vague," said neighboring landowner Donna Flood, who opposed the expansion.

Much of the planning commission's discussion centered on hours of operation, partly due to the fact that the facility's existing permit already allowed for expansion without any other improvements which would corral noise, such as landscaping.

"With the new conditional use permit, though, we could limit the hours of operations better and the lighting better, which I think everybody within the hearing today would appreciate," said Commissioner Steve Temple.

Commissioner Greg Snow agreed.

"Not only is it a greater benefit to the applicant, but in my mind it's a better benefit to the neighbors as well," Snow said.

The commission sanded and polished a condition of approval limiting operations to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a 7 p.m. cutoff for dust-handling and outdoor forklift operations, in addition to other noisy equipment.