Sandpoint commission approves Samuelson Avenue multifamily conditional‑use permit, grants two waivers

The Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission on April 15 approved a conditional‑use permit for a multifamily development at the terminus of Samuelson Avenue and granted two waiver requests allowing reduced bicycle parking and a smaller building‑to‑parking landscape buffer.

The vote, taken after a staff presentation, an applicant presentation and public comment, was unanimous (Commissioners Benner, Weber, Mitchell, Torpey and Chair Moe Dunkel voted yes). The motion recorded in the meeting minutes identifies the application as PCUP24‑0004 and says the approval was for 56 units in four buildings on a roughly 6.53‑acre parcel; however, staff and the applicant repeatedly described the project materials as a 156‑unit proposal earlier in the public hearing and in submitted documents. The commission’s motion as read and adopted uses the number “56.” The discrepancy appears in the public record and is noted here rather than resolved by this article.

Why this matters: the project would extend Samuelson Road, add a new apartment complex adjacent to existing multifamily and near the fairgrounds and airport, and includes requests to relax two development standards that apply to the site.

Darren Fluke, the city’s consulting planner, summarized the staff report and the standards the commission must find to grant a conditional‑use permit and waivers. Fluke said the property is zoned RM (residential multifamily) and described the site layout as four buildings arranged around a central motor court, a 5,300‑square‑foot clubhouse, a pool, and a…