Developer Gets Lake Access By Buying Resort

Wed., Sept. 22, 1999

Nils Rosdahl Correspondent

Future homeowners of The Club at Black Rock, a planned 650-acre subdivision above Rockford Bay, will have access to Lake Coeur d’Alene through the Rockford Bay Resort, which was sold to the Black Rock developer last week.

Denver-area businessman Marshall Chesrown, who plans a 350-house development with several recreational amenities including a public 18-hole golf course, purchased the 21.5-acre resort from Geri Hyatt of Rockford Bay and Larry Hyatt of Boise.

The 50-year-old resort includes a 104-slip marina and full-service restaurant and bar on 500 feet of waterfront. The lake-view property also includes a convenience store, 20 RV sites, four cabins, a large boat storage barn and house. The Hyatts had extensively renovated the place in their six years of ownership. Geri Hyatt managed 20-25 seasonal employees.

Chesrown, who was born and raised in Spokane and is a longtime owner of a Lake Coeur d’Alene residence, will announce his plans at a news conference at The Coeur d’Alene Resort at 11 a.m. Thursday. Rockford Bay area property owners will be able to survey the plans at a private open house later Thursday.

Chesrown said he plans to redevelop the marina to accommodate additional moorages. Major renovation of the restaurant and gas facilities also are in Phase 1 of the plan, he said. The long-range plan includes a new restaurant.

Rockford Bay Resort is about three miles from the site of The Club at Black Rock, which will have about 60 percent “open space” through the golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and six miles of hiking and horse-riding trails. Construction of the golf course should begin next spring, followed by the sale of home sites.

Chesrown, 41, bought the Black Rock property from Spokane’s Pring family, which had planned a golf course and housing development there. Both the Prings and Chesrown have ties to Auto Nation, a nationwide car dealership. Chesrown was in the auto business in California and Colorado and had an auto racing business with drivers competing on the NASCAR circuit.

He plans to upgrade portions of Lofts Bay and Rockford Bay roads and to build a fire station. Once complete, the Club at Black Rock will be the biggest community between Coeur d’Alene and Moscow, according to Tom St. John of the Worley Highway District.

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