Black Rock Project Gets Kootenai County’S Ok Developer Says He Hopes To Start Building Golf Course Next Spring

Kootenai County commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved The Club at Black Rock, which could become the biggest community between Moscow and Coeur d’Alene.

The approval gives the green light for construction of a golf course and 381-home development near Rockford Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

“I think it will be something to be proud of for the community and for the entire Northwest,” Commissioner Dick Compton said.

Commissioner Ron Rankin, who wants that kind of growth to occur north of the Spokane River, also voted to approve Black Rock.

“I’m not thrilled about that being down there. I hate to see encroachment in a rural area,” Rankin said. “But I can’t find any legitimate legal reason to deny it. They have done a very good job of making it palatable.”

Black Rock is the first attempt at developing for Marshall Chesrown, who attended high school in the Spokane Valley before earning a fortune selling cars in the Denver area.

“It took a lot longer than expected, but it went about as well as could be expected,” Chesrown said of the permitting process. “We are very happy with the outcome.”

The commissioners turned down Chesrown’s plan to build a convenience store on the north side of Loffs Bay Road. It can still be built, but the store must be moved to the south side of the road, within the boundaries of the largest portion of the development.

Chesrown said the convenience store - which was planned to provide everyday necessities to residents - wouldn’t be needed until years down the road.

With the vote to deny it Wednesday, the planned store is now scrapped, he said.

“We won’t put it in the compound. I refuse to do it,” he said, indicating it doesn’t fit with the rest of the upscale buildings.

The commission also added a condition to require Chesrown to obtain a conditional use permit for planned storage units. He agreed.

“There is no hurry with that,” he said.

Chesrown and his planners hoped to start construction of the golf course this spring, but final design won’t be done for about three months. The course’s final design should go to bid late this summer, and construction is scheduled for next year at this time, he said.

Once county planners draw up the final conditions, which should take about a week, construction could start on the project’s water system, Chesrown said.

The planned unit development will have its own, self-contained sewage treatment system. It will also feature condos, equestrian stables, a golf school, tennis and swimming facilities and miles of trails.

Chesrown has promised to give the Worley Highway District $800,000 to pave portions of Loffs Bay and Rockford Bay roads, buy fire equipment and build a fire station.

Wells dug on the site will supply the estimated 400,000 gallons of drinking water needed for the development. Water will be pumped out of Lake Coeur d’Alene to water the golf course.

Chesrown wants to have the golf course under construction before he starts the marketing campaign to sell lots for the high-end houses. The target buyers will be wealthy golfers from Arizona, Nevada and Southern California, he said.

“We can start promoting sales by midyear next year,” he said. “Construction of the homes won’t really begin until 2002.”

Work is almost completed on the renovation of the Rockford Bay Marina, which Chesrown purchased.

The marina, which will be open to the public, includes 125 boat slips, a remodeled bar and restaurant, a remodeled convenience store and a 20-acre RV park.

“We are hoping to open the marina on April 15,” Chesrown said. “We will redo the entire dock system, but everything else is pretty much done.”

Commissioner Dick Panabaker praised Chesrown and his team of planners for bringing a development to the area.

“If there is a Cadillac project out there - that’s it,” Panabaker said.

Compton said with the draw of The Coeur d’Alene Resort and golf course, Black Rock should bring more people to vacation in the area.

“We’ve become more and more dependent on tourism dollars,” Compton said. “To have this type of golf course in a pristine setting helps our whole image as a tourist destination.”

Map of area