SANDPOINT — A proposed 15-unit multifamily housing development on Cedar Street was remanded back to Planning and Zoning by City Council on Wednesday due to neighbors’ concerns over the height of the buildings, among other complaints.

With the council’s motion to remand the proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission, the condition was made that no part of the Ridge at Cedar Street development is to exceed two stories. The motion, made by Councilman Thomas Eddy, was approved in a 3-2 vote.

The proposed development, located across four parcels in the 1700 block of Cedar on the west side of Division Avenue, was initially approved by Planning and Zoning commissioners on Oct. 1. Multifamily units of eight units or more require a conditional use permit, which triggers a public hearing with the commission, said Amanda Wilson, the city’s Infrastructure and Development Services manager. The proposed site is zoned as residential multifamily.

The commissioners imposed two conditions after the first public hearing in September, including to limit the height in accordance with City Code and to construct a six-foot masonry wall along the east and south borders of the property. While the developer, Cedar Street Investments, LLC, made adjustments to the original design to limit the structures facing Cedar Street and the southern part of the buildings to two stories, a portion of the design remained three stories.

The commission’s approval of the proposal prompted an appeal by neighboring property owner Jean Allen, which initiated another public hearing, this time in front of City Council. The primary concern of Allen, along with Francis Ogilvie who was also listed as an appellant, as well as a number of other neighbors who spoke Wednesday in opposition to the proposal, was the height of the building in a neighborhood that is primarily one-story, single-family homes.

Allen said she and her neighbors are “disturbed” by the negative impact such a large development could have on the neighborhood.

“All of us are shocked at the completely incompatible nature of this design,” Allen said.

Representing the developer, Todd Butler of Forte Architecture and Planning said they went through the process and met all of the guidelines as dictated by Planning and Zoning.

“We were approved with a couple of conditions … we have met all of those conditions,” Butler said.

According to City Code, the overall height of multifamily structures “shall relate to that of adjacent structures by avoiding construction that varies greatly in height from adjacent buildings. New multi-family structures shall graduate their maximum height based on adjacent structures using stepped roofs and/or partial stories.”

Wilson said the code is open to interpretation as to whether the proposal is compatible with the neighborhood or not.

“That is fundamentally why we are here tonight, is to decide if it is within code or not within code,” Wilson said.

Another concern was the increased traffic on an already narrow street that needs repairs, according to some of the residents. Wilson said the site could generate up to 130 additional trips per day on Cedar Street. The city is currently in the process of creating a city-wide multimodal transportation master plan, which is expected to include improvements in the area of the proposed development, among others, Wilson said.

In addition, based on the proposed number of units, Wilson said the minimum off-street parking spaces that must be provided is 16. The developer is proposing to have 24 off-street spaces, though three will be designated for snow storage in the winter, so the official count is 21, Wilson said. Some of the neighbors said they were concerned there would still be people parking on the street. There were also concerns on the entrance and exit area for the parking lot, that headlights would shine directly into homes across the street as the residents of the development come and go.

Upon deliberation, Mayor Shelby Rognstad spoke in support of the project as he said the city faces growth pressures.

“I think that this project, or projects like this, go a long way to address that issue,” Rognstad said. “I also understand the sensitivities of the neighbors in the neighborhoods where these projects are proposed … I appreciate the work the Planning and Zoning Commission did previously to create that buffer that would protect neighbors from traffic lights, as well as to drop the street frontage face of the building down from three stories to two stories… I appreciate that concession and I think that is the kind of middle ground that we as a city should be seeking from developers to try and meet that dual need.”

Councilwoman Deb Ruehle agreed with the need for housing in the area, and said that “change is hard, but change is coming.”

“The developer, because he owns these lots, could very well decide to throw this in the trash and build something that you like even less,” Ruehle said. “I feel like he has reached across the aisle.”

While Ruehle and Councilman Joel Aispuro voted against Eddy’s motion to remand the decision back to Planning and Zoning, the developer will have to go back to the drawing board. Councilmen Bill Aitken and John Darling voted in favor with Eddy, and Councilwoman Shannon Williamson was not present at the meeting.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to correct a quote by Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad regarding the proposed height of the building project.