SANDPOINT — The city of Sandpoint is moving forward with its plan to expand the Bridge Street sidewalk after reaching an agreement with Bridge Street LLC. 

The project’s future was in doubt after the City Council's 4-2 decision in early January to deny a land-use agreement between the parties. However, Mayor Jeremy Grimm said he continued discussions with the property owner and has reached an access agreement that will allow the project to begin. 

Grimm said the agreement does not need council approval because it does not encumber any public assets or public property. 

"The access agreement is more of a technicality, which lets us go into the hole in the ground and actually build,” Grimm said. “There’s not land use agreement in the sense that he needs anything from us that would require dedication of land, title or record easements.” 

A significant reason for the council’s denial of the land use agreement was the property owner’s previous request that the city commit to maintaining vehicular access to Gunnings Alley from the north. Grimm said the city will always require vehicular access to the alley to allow fire trucks and utility vehicles to reach it. 

“Having gone over the details on the future and how Farmin’s Landing is going to function, we were able to reach an agreement,” Grimm said. “I think the property owner was relieved to see that, barring some very strange occurrence, vehicles will always be able to access the back of that landing.” 

The council approved the expansion work and contract with Big Sky ID Corp in late 2025. During the council discussion at the Jan. 7 meeting, several people said the amount owed to the contractor would be a “large sum,” although councilors and Grimm did not provide a specific amount. 

The project will expand the width of the sidewalk from 6 to 12 feet by building a retaining wall that moves the sidewalk back to the property line. The city estimates the project will cost $396,672 and will be funded primarily by a $385,102 performance security provided by Bridge Street LLC, with the remainder funded by the Resort City Sidewalk Fund. 

In addition to the expansion, Grimm said the city will remove the rusted sheet piling that obstructs the view of the empty lot and install a sidewalk railing. He added that this project was important because of the high volume of summer traffic on the city’s only pedestrian path to City Beach. 

Grimm said the project will start immediately, and anticipates its completion before the annual “Lost in the ‘50s” event, which is set for May 14-16. 

"It’s been an eyesore since the building burnt down and long overdue to try and improve both our function and appearance of our downtown,” Grimm said. “I’m excited to see the work completed and make sure that our residents and visitors can safely get to the beach.”