Sandpoint pauses RV‑park renovation plan after Averill family request; city to hold community workshops
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Summary
Sandpoint staff told the Parks and Recreation Commission that council paused a planned $950,000 RV‑park renovation after a letter from the Averill family and extensive public comment; staff proposed charrettes and a survey to gather community preferences before the newly seated council decides.
Chair Taylor Long opened the Nov. 12 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting and Jason Welker, the city’s community planning and development director, updated commissioners on the RV‑park controversy at City Beach. Welker said the city has a $950,000 state grant for renovating the RV park and that the site currently generates roughly $80,000 a year in net revenue for the parks capital improvement fund, with a renovated RV park estimated to produce about $115,000 annually.
Why it matters: The council recently received a letter from the Averill family asking that the city reconsider renovating the RV park in its current location. At a Nov. 5 council meeting, more than an hour of public comment and a council motion led to a direction to deny the current lease/sale request to the Averills and instead pursue broader community engagement about the site’s best use. Welker said the city must show forward progress on the state grant by May–June 2026 or risk the state reallocating the funds.
What staff proposed: Welker presented three options staff might present to council: (1) amend the parks master plan to renovate the RV park in place and reopen the solicitation for engineering and construction (staff thinks a 2026 ground‑breaking is still possible); (2) amend the master plan to provide an alternative such as boat‑trailer parking on the current RV parcel (which would require a funding agreement with the Averills or other sources); or (3) propose a new park asset or vehicle parking that would replace the RV park. He warned that choosing a non‑RV outcome would forfeit the $950,000 state grant and require replacement funding to avoid reducing parks CIP revenue.
Community process: Staff proposed a charrette‑style workshop and a public survey to run before the newly seated council reviews options in January. Welker asked the commission to help plan and host the charrette (roundtable format, facilitator, posters) and to review outreach materials at the commission’s Dec. 10 meeting. He said staff will discuss the draft survey with the mayor before circulating it to commissioners.
Key constraints and risks: Commissioners and residents pressed staff on several uncertainties: whether a private agreement with the Averills could legally or practicably replace CIP revenue; the effect of deed covenants that the parcel be used “for public park purposes” and that leasing terms would need legal review; the state grant timing; and the high cost (an estimated $2.5–$3 million) and environmental concerns associated with dredging to relocate boat launches. Welker emphasized that any non‑RV outcome must address replacement of roughly $115,000 a year in CIP revenue to maintain other planned projects.
Next steps: Staff plans to set a date for a community workshop in early December, bring a prepared outreach plan to the Dec. 10 commission meeting for rehearsal and final tweaks, and present community‑informed options to the council after the new council members are seated in January.
Quotes: “We have an RV park in this park, and we have a million dollars of state dollars to renovate that,” Welker told the commission, referring to the near‑$950,000 grant. A Sandpoint resident at public comment said, “It was not for the city to remain in the RV park business,” urging broader public input before changing the parcel’s use.
Ending: The commission did not take a formal vote on a preferred option at the Nov. 12 meeting; it endorsed staff moving forward on outreach planning and scheduled review of engagement materials at the commission’s Dec. 10 meeting.
