Sandpoint council approves preliminary plan for Ridley Village Court PUD with conditions

The Sandpoint City Council approved a preliminary development plan for Ridley Village Court, a proposed attached single‑family townhome community on roughly 5 acres near the terminus of River Rock Road and Autumn Lane, after a lengthy public hearing and revisions from the applicant.

Council members voted to approve the PUD with conditions that the developer: (1) locate the primary common open space toward the center of the site rather than at the project edge; (2) increase the buffer along the southeastern edge adjacent to Maplewood/ Cattail properties to 15 feet and orient porches and windows to reduce privacy impacts; (3) require traffic‑calming measures prior to final plat approval, including a tabletop or other speed‑reducing treatments on extended River Rock Road; (4) provide an expanded pedestrian easement (recommended 8 feet) where Autumn Lane will not be built as a full street; and (5) meet city engineering requirements for snow storage and intersection lighting at the site entrance. The approval is a preliminary step; final engineering, platting and building permits will follow additional review.

Why it matters: The developer proposed an infill housing type the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan encourages — smaller lots, shared open space and attached single‑family units — which the applicant said increases home‑ownership options that are currently scarce in Sandpoint. Neighbors and school representatives pushed back on traffic, parking and compatibility with nearby single‑family yards, pressing the council to add conditions to reduce privacy and circulation impacts.

Key details: The developer, Affinity Management and design team SCJ Alliance, revised the plan after the Planning & Zoning Commission hearing to respond to neighborhood concerns. The revised plan keeps two‑story townhome buildings, private rear garages accessed from internal alleys, and an expanded central common area. The developer stressed units would be fee‑simple (not condos) and included a mix of unit sizes, with a large share of single‑story living units to widen market appeal. The city and applicant also discussed stormwater, bus routing and street tree spacing; the city indicated final engineering will determine drainage design and right‑of‑way needs.

What council said: Council discussion focused on balancing the council’s desire for neighborhood connectivity (the comprehensive plan favors a gridded network) with residents’ concerns about cut‑through traffic and privacy. Several council members said extending River Rock but keeping Autumn Lane as a pedestrian priority or an offset connection — rather than a straight collector road — could provide emergency access and connectivity while reducing incentive for through traffic. The council also asked staff to require on‑site traffic‑calming features and to specify lighting and snow‑storage provisions in the construction agreement.

Next steps: The developer can move to final engineering and, if that succeeds, return with a final plat and construction agreement. The preliminary approval allows the team to proceed with more detailed designs but does not authorize any building activity until the final PUD, engineering and plat approvals are complete.

Community reaction: Supporters at the hearing said the design addresses a market gap for smaller, owner‑occupied homes near downtown and transit. Opponents — mostly nearby Maplewood Village residents — urged more buffering, fewer curb cuts and stronger guarantees on parking and stormwater. SpotBus representatives said improved access would help transit service in the area and asked the developer to coordinate routing and stops.

Funding and city impact: The developer will be responsible for on‑site improvements and to pay impact fees; the project does not reallocate city park funding. Any future public right‑of‑way acquisitions tied to a larger Great Northern or Ridley Village project would follow standard right‑of‑way acquisition and appraisal processes.

Ending: Councilors framed their approval as a conditional compromise to allow an infill housing type encouraged by the comprehensive plan while requiring design and operational safeguards to reduce impacts on adjacent residents. The PUD now advances to final engineering and plat review with the conditions the council set.