Liberty Lake council awards Trailhead restaurant lease to Chevalita's after contentious debate

The Liberty Lake City Council voted 5-2 Wednesday to award the lease for the Trailhead Golf Course restaurant space to Chevalita's, after public commenters and council members debated competing proposals from Chevalita's and Saranac Public House.

Residents who spoke during the meeting urged the council to consider financial and professional preparedness when choosing a tenant. Diane Baxter, a Spokane Valley resident, told council members, “Saranac is asking for $530,000 from the city for tenant improvements, and they don't intend to repay that. Chavalita's is asking for basically a loan of $200,000 which they intend to repay.” Emily St. Pierre, a Liberty Lake resident, told the council Chevalita's “offers an estimated return of $432,000 within 10 years,” and said Chevalita's had presented more detailed plans and consistent attendance at meetings.

Nut graf: The vote followed weeks of proposals and public comment. Council members said they weighed fiscal projections, the vendors’ level of preparation and public presentations, and the potential long-term return to city coffers in deciding which operator to select for the public-facing Trailhead property.

Council discussion cited numbers and presentation quality. Several council members said they were persuaded by the larger projected returns, the smaller tenant-improvement allowance requested by Chevalita's, and the firm’s repeated engagement in the process. Council member Kennedy said financial returns and projections were central to her decision. Council member Spencer noted that when the 20-year projections were compared on a 10-year basis, “the case for Saranac was very bleak,” and announced his support for awarding the lease to Chevalita's. Council member Dunne spoke against the motion, saying he preferred a tenant that would bring a concept not already common in the city.

Applicant Vanessa, who addressed the council during the citizen-comment period, thanked the council and said, “The amount of energy I put into the business plan is what I will put into the business … I won't fail you guys.”

The council did not record named roll-call votes for each member in the public transcript; the clerk announced the outcome as “motion passes” and the tally later as five in favor and two opposed. The motion text on the record was to award the Trailhead lease to Chevalita's; mover and seconder were not specified in the public transcript.

Ending: Chevalita's will proceed toward lease completion and build-out of the Trailhead space; the council did not announce a firm move-in date during the meeting. The council and staff said standard administrative steps — final lease documents and any required permitting — will follow the formal award.