SANDPOINT — After evaluation and feedback from a jury of experts, the Sandpoint City Council voted Wednesday in favor of GGLO’s “The Blue Necklace” design as the finalist of the city’s Waterfront Design Competition.

Competition manager Don Stastny announced the design’s selection, saying the jury made it’s pick after considering three semi-finalist teams’ interpretation of the project, responsiveness to design goals, demonstration of the team’s capabilities to complete and execute selected design and public comments. The unanimous selection means that GGLO will move on to stage three.

“There are no winners or losers,” Stastny said, “only those who are selected to move on. Each (team) has made a tremendous gift to the city.”

GGLO’s design is described in their design packet as uniting the “thread that ties together the many jewels of Sandpoint — a physical connection that weaves from the Granary District in the west to the tip of the sandy point at City Beach.”

Their design includes a rewilded Sand Creek corridor, improvements at City Beach, native plants, new artwork and interpretive displays, expansion of Farmin Park and other projects to reflect and illustrate a tapestry of Sandpoint’s history.

Public surveys and comments played a significant role in determining the jury’s decision. During public presentations in recent weeks, City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton estimates around 400 people visited the design boards. The city also received feedback via surveys from over 100 individuals, around 90% being Sandpoint residents. Stapleton said those participation numbers are fairly standard.

Both Stapleton and Stastny stressed that this is not the end, but the beginning of this project, especially in regards to public involvement. Many competitions stop at the second stage, but this competition is crafted to bring refinement that takes place in the third stage, Statsny said.

In upcoming weeks, GGLO will integrate jury recommendations into their designs. These recommendations include defining bicycle connectivity in refinement of vehicular and pedestrian circulation, correcting omission of required elements like the kayak launch on Sand Creek and identifying locations for workforce housing.

Stapleton also said many residents have been inquiring about who asked for the waterfront design project.

“The answer is the community,” Stapleton said.

“We have heard from the community over the several couple years online in person at council meetings, through calls into the office, in discussions between staff and the council that the public is concerned about the private development that is occurring, and that that private development in our downtown core especially does not reflect the historic character and feel of our community. The way that you influence private design is by creating a master plan for your downtown and putting forth that vision and then implementing that vision through code changes.

This is very much in response to input from the public with concern about private development. We need to define what we want our downtown to look like.”

The council voted unanimously to send GGLO into stage three of the design competition, with each of them offering comments about their decision.

“I am thankful that we chose GGLO as I felt like (their plan) had the most local feel,” said councilor Joel Aispuro. “I do believe there is a lot of fear of change … It felt like this concept — this picture — was more of what we have now and I think that’s great.”

“Change is inevitable,” councilor Kate McAlister said. “The only constant in life is change. This is an opportunity to control the change and to participate in the change rather than have change happen to us.”