Sandpoint planning commission backs Chosen Motors conditional-use permit to relocate to Highway 2

The Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval Nov. 18 of a conditional-use permit that would allow Chosen Motors to relocate a used-car sales lot to 1213 Highway 2.

City Planner Bill Dean told the commission the site includes a gravel area to the west of the building intended for vehicle display and customer parking to the north. Dean said staff recommends conditions including restriping the parking to ensure all parking is on-site, removal of the chain-link fence slat infill (to be painted black), a planting bed shown on the amended site plan (about 18 square feet in the staff presentation) and future lighting that complies with Sandpoint’s dark-sky ordinance.

Craig Leone, owner of Chosen Motors, said his business is small and part time, typically displaying only a handful of vehicles; he told commissioners he expects rarely to have more than six or seven cars on site, though the zoning would allow up to 12. "We don't sell very many cars at a time," Leone said, describing the operation as locally focused and debt-free.

No members of the public signed up to testify during the hearing. After brief deliberations, a commissioner moved to accept the conditional-use permit with staff conditions; the motion was seconded and commissioners Benner, Weber, Mitchell and Remar voted in favor. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded consistent with normal procedures; staff noted that final written action follows the commission’s decision.

The conditions aim to ensure site function and neighborhood compatibility — restriping and on-site parking to eliminate reliance on adjacent parcels, visual buffering through landscaping and compliance with lighting standards — before the land use is commenced.