Sandpoint eases tall buildings zone rules

Two areas of Sandpoint’s quaint downtown were cleared for 60-foot tall buildings Wednesday night, after a split vote of the City Council.

The new height ordinance will allow Panhandle State Bank to build a four-story headquarters with an atrium on the city block bordered by Fourth and Fifth avenues and Oak and Church streets. Taller buildings will also be allowed on the site of the former Louisiana-Pacific sawmill, now a vacant lot along North Boyer Avenue. In other areas, the city’s height limit remains 45 feet.

Wednesday night’s vote capped several weeks of emotional debate on the issue, plus a citizen’s advisory ballot that showed Sandpoint voters, by a narrow margin, willing to allow taller buildings in those two particular areas.

Critics, including Sandpoint resident John Elsa, said taller buildings will block views of the Selkirk Mountains, and erode the city’s small-town charm. “This is a little piece of heaven,” he said. “For some people on the east side, it will completely change their sunset.”

To Mayor Ray Miller, however, the extra 15 feet is negligible. Most people probably won’t even notice a difference, he said.

“We want economic development, revitalization, and good paying jobs,” Miller said. “You have to show some flexibility (to companies) to get them to come here.”

Panhandle State Bank had threatened to build in another community, or drastically scale back its new building, if the council wouldn’t compromise. The bank’s $40 million design calls for underground parking, retail and office space, topped by two floors of penthouses surrounding the atrium. Curt Hecker, the bank’s chief executive officer, did not return calls for comment Thursday.

The new building will allow the bank to consolidate its 75 employees and most administrative functions under one roof. In a previous interview, Hecker said the penthouses were needed to offset the high cost of underground parking. Each stall in the underground garage costs about $25,000 to $30,000, according to Hecker.

The height ordinance stalled during its first reading Wednesday. With the council split 3-3, it couldn’t move forward. Miller cast the tie-breaking vote, allowing the measure to proceed to a final vote of the council. The new height ordinance eventually passed 4-2.

Council members Cindy Elliott, Alison Burgstahler, Chuck Spickelmire and Francis Ogilvie voted for the ordinance. Michael Boge and Sandy Lamson opposed it.

“I love a homegrown success, but I think Panhandle can accomplish their goals with a 45-foot building,” Lamson said in an interview Thursday.

The previous height ordinance already allowed some discretion, she said. Height limits are based on the midpoint between the peak and the eaves, so “45 feet could actually be 60 feet at the peak, and 60 feet could become 75 feet,” she said.

“If we turn Sandpoint into a pale imitation of Seattle,” Lamson said, “where are people going to go to get away from it all?”

Elliott and Spickelmire both have ties to Panhandle State Bank. Spickelmire’s wife works for the bank, and Elliott is an attorney with the firm that represents the bank. Her partner, Ford Elsaesser, sits on the bank’s board of directors.

Before the vote was taken, the two council members said they had consulted with outside legal counsel, and felt comfortable voting on the matter. Some city officials argue that the legislative process, unlike a quasi-judicial process, allows council members to vote on matters where they might have potential conflicts of interest.