SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint City Council provided direction on the city's Euclid Right-of-Way Water Access Project Wednesday, with several council members favoring a simple, low-maintenance approach for improving the space. 

For over a century, a right-of-way south of Euclid Avenue has led to the shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Now, the city is working to transform the site into a more accessible and welcoming space for the community. 

The council's feedback will guide Place Landscape Architecture, the firm undertaking the project's conceptual design work, as it prepares a refined concept for consideration in December. 

When Euclid Avenue was platted in 1908, the Pend Oreille flowed several hundred yards south from where the lake shore is today, said Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker. Sixty years later, the city vacated Riverside Drive, a street that ran along the lakeshore, to its property owners. 

"It was no longer needed. It was underwater, you don't need a road that's underwater for most of the year," said Welker. 

In that process, the right-of-way was retained as a city-owned property, giving the council the choice of enhancing the waterfront for the community. 

"I believe we all need water access,” Councilor Pam Duquette said. "A lot of us aren't lucky enough to live on the water. Whether it's access to get in the water or not, or just to sit by the water." 

Duquette also shared several recommendations, saying that "less is best."  She said she would opt for a minimal approach that would require less investment, including a gravel path rather than a paved one. 

Welker also weighed in, saying he envisioned a simple area for residents to enjoy the scenery. 

"My view is this wouldn't be a destination park. This should be a water access point for primarily neighbors to enjoy," said Welker. 

After gathering input from neighboring residents of the property in south Sandpoint during a public workshop last month, the community shared similar views with the council, said Justin Weatherman, Place LA principal landscape architect. 

"Generally, there was a lot of support for improved public waterfront access," said Weatherman. "It seemed like there was a general preference for simple, low-maintenance design." 

As council members considered different proposed concepts, Mayor Jeremy Grimm advised them to think about the end result. 

"What I'm hearing is this duality," said Grimm. 

One option Grimm said he heard the council support was a simple dead-end path where visitors could walk to the water and enjoy the view. He also said some council members appeared interested in more extensive improvements, such as creating a beach with added sand. 

"I think we need to be aware. Are we talking about a more active place where people actually recreate by swimming and getting picked up? Or are we talking about a dead end with a quiet bench and a sign that says, 'You're welcome to walk down this dead end and sit and watch the sunrise,'" said Grimm. 

Duquette clarified that distinction, saying she doesn’t envision "a group of people going and having a birthday party down there."