Sandpoint planner outlines zoning, overlay and certificate-of-appropriateness work to protect downtown character

Bill Dean, Sandpoint city planner, told the Arts, Culture & Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 9 that his top short‑term priority from council and the mayor is to translate the city’s comp‑plan preservation goals into concrete zoning and permitting tools for downtown.

Dean outlined a three‑part approach he said is needed: map an historic‑preservation overlay district on the zoning map, add procedures in the municipal code to require a certificate of appropriateness for work inside that overlay, and adopt design guidelines (incorporated by reference) the commission will develop and recommend to City Council. "No building just springs out of the ground," Dean said, describing how permits and written rules drive real outcomes.

The proposal would change when and how projects are reviewed. Dean said he will rewrite relevant chapters of the municipal code (Title 9 and the building code) to establish the overlay, to define applicability for land‑use permits and to create an administrative process that includes notice and due process for affected property owners and neighbors. He said the overlay would be shown as a dashed “H” on the zoning map and the detailed design guidelines would live outside the code so they can be updated more easily.

Why it matters: Commission members and staff said the current comp‑plan language has not prevented some recent downtown projects from being built in ways some residents consider incompatible. Dean said the city’s present code contains only a single, broad phrase about compatibility that is difficult to use as a predictable standard. Establishing a clearer overlay and certificate of appropriateness would require applicants to address massing, materials and facade treatments before a building permit can be issued.

Details and next steps

- Dean said he will bring a draft boundary for the proposed overlay and a draft of the code amendments to the commission for review; the commission will help draft and refine the design guidelines before the package goes to City Council. - He advised treating areas adjacent to the historic core differently: a broader set of downtown design guidelines for the larger commercial area and stricter historic‑preservation guidelines inside the hashed overlay. "The blue, light‑blue and hatched areas can have different levels of review," one commissioner said; Dean asked the commission to confirm that approach. - Dean flagged building height and adjacency as the commission’s most commonly voiced concern. He cautioned council and the commission that limits that substantially reduce economic viability (for example, for sites with costly foundations near Sand Creek) could delay redevelopment.

What was not decided

The commission did not adopt a final overlay boundary, nor did City Council vote on any regulations at the meeting. Dean repeatedly framed himself as the staff lead and said he will return with language and maps for the commission to edit.

Ending

Commissioners agreed to review Dean’s upcoming drafts and to form work groups to help draft guidelines. Dean said he will rewrite the relevant portions of Title 9 and bring mid‑stream drafts back to the commission in the coming months for formal recommendation to City Council.