An application to the Idaho Department of Lands to expand the Hayden Lake Marina was withdrawn Friday.

The move was greeted with relief by some residents near the marina.

"We welcome the opportunity for a reset," said Brookes Spencer when contacted by The Press. 

He said concerns were not about opposing the marina itself.

"Our objections were about the scale of the proposed expansion, the inadequacy of the application, and the complete absence of community consultation during two and a half years of planning," Spencer said.

The IDL issued a preliminary order Friday. It states it was the applicant's decision "to withdraw their current application for reconfiguration and expansion of a commercial marina, as reflected in correspondence from Lindsay Olmstead" on Friday.

Olmstead, Hayden Lake Marina general manager, could not be reached for comment.

It is unknown if the marina plans to resubmit the application.

An IDL public hearing scheduled April 15 on the issue has been canceled.

The withdrawal follows a decision by the Hayden City Council on Tuesday to deny the marina’s request for a letter of support for its proposed expansion project, which would see the removal and replacement of existing docks with a new configuration that would include 32 new slips.

In a letter to the council, Olmstead said the project was "designed to modernize aging infrastructure, enhance safety, and better accommodate the size and needs of today’s recreational boaters.” 

Features would include an updated electrical service, energy-efficient lighting and a new, publicly accessible pump-out facility, according to application documents.  

Jan Wilkins, president of the Hayden Lake Watershed Association and on behalf of members of Citizens Against Hayden Lake Marina Expansion, said the withdrawal of the application "reflects what is possible when a community comes together, engages the process seriously, and makes its voice heard. 

"We are grateful to everyone who contributed — the neighbors who wrote letters, attended meetings, donated to the legal fund, and gave their time," she said. "We hope that if the applicant chooses to return with a revised proposal, it will be developed in genuine partnership with the community from the outset. That is a conversation we would welcome." 

Another local, Bert Donaldson, said he hopes marina owners "will improve what they have now and make it a first-class destination for neighbors and visitors local or out of towners alike. "

"What they charge for seasonal slip rent I would think would be sufficient to fund the existing footprint with quality service and real improvements and keep it the community lake it’s always been," he said.