Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Design Standards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sandpoint planners debate downtown design standards, materials and nonconforming rules
Summary
At a March 17 meeting, the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission continued review of draft commercial zoning and downtown design standards, focusing on building orientation, glazing requirements, treatment of unfinished concrete and metal, and how nonconforming structures should be handled; staff will refine prohibited-material language and return.
The Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission spent its March 17 meeting continuing a months-long review of proposed commercial zoning and a new historic-preservation code, centering the discussion on design standards for downtown and peripheral commercial zones.
Deputy Director of Community Planning and Development Bill Dean led a page-by-page walkthrough of a redline ordinance, telling the commission the changes aim "to prevent the worst things from happening" by encouraging street-facing building entrances, limiting parking between sidewalks and storefronts, and requiring minimum storefront glazing in core areas. Dean said the work responds to a city council request to evaluate downtown commercial zoning and to provide clearer standards for a new downtown core and outer core.
Why it matters: commissioners said the standards shape what redevelopments will look like for decades. Several members noted many existing commercial parcels (especially in Commercial C) are nonconforming today, and that the proposed rules would require expansions to bring only the expanded portion into compliance, not force wholesale retrofits.
A major focus of the meeting was building materials. Dean flagged a proposed prohibition on "unfinished concrete" and similar finishes; several commissioners and Commissioner Reed Weber said the language is unclear and could bar acceptable uses such as architectural concrete or well‑executed concrete masonry units. "I think it could be doable, but you definitely have to pull it off in a beautiful way," Weber said, urging clearer definitions and possible exceptions for architectural treatments. Commissioners also questioned whether corten or corrugated metal — used on several recent downtown buildings — should remain disallowed or be moved to a regulated, allowable list as an accent material.
Commissioners debated how prescriptive the code should be. Some argued for tighter, standalone design guidelines to reduce ambiguity; others warned that overly specific rules could be vulnerable to legal challenge or hinder economic viability. Dean suggested a phased approach: adopt a workable ordinance, monitor how it functions, then add or subtract detail as needed and coordinate the standards with the separate historic-preservation procedures that apply within the city's adopted historic district.
On building height and proportions, Dean said field measurements of downtown buildings supported proposed first-floor height ranges and other dimensional guidance, but commissioners emphasized balancing visual coherence with the financial realities for prospective developers.
Asked about relief procedures for exceptional projects (an Apple-style flagship store was used as an example), Dean said applicants currently can pursue zoning-code amendments or other formal processes; he will review whether an explicit waiver or menu-based approach is workable under Idaho law and return with options.
The commission did not vote on the ordinance. Dean said he will refine language on prohibited materials, consider a menu or mitigation approach for conflicting standards, consult with legal staff, and present revised language and a crosswalk to the historic-preservation code at a future meeting. The commission approved the consent calendar early in the meeting and adjourned at 7:18 p.m.
