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Council pauses awarding Bridge Street retaining-wall/sidewalk contract to allow brief additional outreach with adjacent property owner
Summary
Council debated awarding a bid for a CMU retaining wall and 12-foot sidewalk along Bridge Street (between 1st Avenue and the bridge). The project would replace an existing sheet-pile wall and restore the full pedestrian corridor. Several councilors asked staff to contact the adjacent property owner again regarding access/land-swap issues; council
Sandpoint staff presented a contract award recommendation on Nov. 5 to construct a concrete-masonry-unit (CMU) retaining wall along Bridge Street that would restore a 12-foot sidewalk from 1st Avenue to the Bridge Street bridge. The retaining wall replaces an existing sheet-pile wall that encroaches on the city right-of-way.
Staff said the work is funded primarily from a cash deposit the city received as performance security tied to a prior land swap and that a small city sidewalk/Resort City fund contribution may also be required to close the funding gap. The low bid recommended was just under $400,000 for construction; earlier design and contract-administration work had already been incurred.
During council discussion, Planning staff encouraged the council to allow one more pre-application discussion with the adjacent property owner (the parcel owner immediately northeast of the wall) because planning staff said that developer had repeatedly indicated the redevelopment concept required rear access (Gunning’s Alley) that currently lacks suitable vehicular access from the north. Planning staff said the developer’s current concept may be infeasible without additional access and that reversing or reexamining the prior land-swap arrangement might produce a better long-term solution for the block. Several councilors raised concerns that awarding the contract now could lock the city into a solution that later would need to be undone.
Council debated the tradeoffs: construct the wall and restore sidewalk width this winter (avoid a lost construction window and eliminate an unsightly sheet-pile face) versus brief delay to pursue last-ditch discussions with the developer that could enable a broader, more integrated redevelopment and access solution. Council voted to pause award briefly to allow staff and planning to hold another pre-application conversation with the adjacent owner; staff said the outreach would be quick and council’s direction could be reconsidered at the next meeting. Staff noted that further delay may affect contractor availability and winter work windows if the pause is extended beyond a few weeks.
