Group seeks floating dock permit
Ten-boat structure proposed near McKenzie Bay Lane on Liberty Lake
A decision is expected soon on a Liberty Lake developer’s request to build a floating dock for 10 boats near McKenzie Bay Lane.
Liberty Lake Conservation Partners, 1421 N. Meadowwood Lane, is seeking a substantial development permit to build the dock, which will be 158 feet long, including a 6-foot ramp to McKenzie Beach.
Each perpendicular slip is to be 8 feet wide and 20 feet long.
The dock is to serve four waterfront lots, with a combined 300 feet of frontage, and six secondary lots. The property, owned by Liberty Lake Conservation Partners, is north of a 52-acre private retreat facility.
A homeowners association would be responsible for maintaining the dock.
Several neighbors opposed the dock when Spokane County Hearing Examiner Michael Dempsey conducted a public hearing July 14.
County officials also received three letters of opposition, citing its 80-foot proximity to an existing dock and fears that property values, views, safety concerns and diminished recreational opportunities would be reduced.
The area is zoned rural traditional. A county Building and Planning Department report says the county shoreline plan and the state Department of Natural Resources prefer neighbors to share docks instead of each building his own.
In addition to the permit Dempsey is considering, Conservation Partners needs permissions from the county Engineering Division and two state departments: Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources.