SANDPOINT — Sandpoint councilors voted Wednesday to approve a preliminary plat to subdivide a 3.48-acre land parcel in South Sandpoint. 

With the approval, the applicant Double Penny Partners LLC will proceed with a project designed to ultimately create a new public street and eight new single-family homes.

Currently, the lot is mostly vacant. According to the existing plan, the Turnstone Subdivision will feature a single cul-de-sac connecting the residences with Ontario Street. 

The proposal came before Sandpoint’s Planning and Zoning Commission on July 10; a recommendation for the council to approve the preliminary plat passed in a 3-2 vote, with dissenters citing connectivity issues in the area according to Darren Fluke, former interim city planner. 

Before councilors examined the request, Councilor Pam Duquette chose to recuse herself from the discussion and vote due to having visited the site before the meeting. 

At the meeting, Fluke, who served as city planner when the project was brought to Sandpoint, described the limitations of the area. 

“This property is isolated,” Fluke told councilors. “There's really no opportunity to produce better connectivity within the project without condemning existing single-family residential development.” 

The lot is surrounded on two sides by existing houses and Ontario Street to the north. Mackies Way, a private street, forms the east border of the lot. 

Nicole Costello, professional engineer with Clearwater Engineering LLC, represented the applicant at the meeting and provided insight into the plan for the area. 

Costello described stormwater as the “primary issue” for the site and said water drainage played a role in determining how the land would be used. 

Because dense subdivisions with tightly packed houses leave little earth exposed to support natural drainage, the developer chose to divide the area into a lower density collection of eight lots. 

Additionally, drainage in the area will be supported by shallow ditches on the outskirts of the residential lots and a subsurface gravel infiltration trench, which Costello described as a “gravel burrito-wrapped in impermeable fabric.” 

The area and its surroundings are notorious for holding standing water, particularly during the spring. Later in the meeting, several residents of existing houses nearby voiced their concern for the effect the development would have on water in the area. 

“The water is a big thing — we all know it,” said Gary Reasor, who described himself as neutral when registering to speak on the item. “It’s the reason it hasn’t been built on for 30 years.” 

“The drainage system sounds lovely, but when you have a horizontal area, I don't understand how the water flows to the east,” said Mary Rogers, who was opposed to the item. 

Costello assured nearby residents that the development will not exacerbate their drainage issues. 

“The goal is that it remains the same and does get worse, and hopefully, it benefits them,” Costello said. 

At the meeting, Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm described a preliminary plat approval as an “incremental step” in the overall development process. 

Going forward, a more specific development plan will be drafted. Before lots are sold or building permits are issued, a final plat will need to be approved by the council. 

    The Turnstone Subdivision will feature eight single-family residential lots accessed by a cul-del-sac from Ontario Street.