By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff
After a contentious six-hour meeting Aug. 20, the Bonner County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an application for a 12-unit subdivision outside of Coolin near Priest Lake. The development, called Yoman Bluffs, has been in the works since 2021 and initially included 23 residential lots.
The proposed subdivision is located off Sherwood Beach Road on land zoned Recreation, and will comprise lots ranging from 2.5 to 3.9 acres. All future homes will utilize individual wells and septic systems, and the Coolin-Cavanaugh Bay Fire Protection District has issued a will-serve letter for the development.
Developers Yomanone, LLC, represented by Cory Yost and John Mandere, applied for and received approval from the BOCC for a 10-unit subdivision in 2021, which would have represented Phase I of the housing community. While developers constructed the soon-to-be Yoman Drive, the Coolin Sewer District, which had previously issued the development a will-serve letter, instituted a moratorium on new hookups that remains active. The approved plat then expired while awaiting the moratorium’s end.
Though the development must utilize the sewer district, according to Yost, it will take more than $20 million to bring the “Coolin Sewer up to standard, to fix it, and to add some capacity.”
While awaiting the moratorium’s end, Yomanone has proposed installing septic tanks alongside future sewage hookups so that homes can operate. Panhandle Health District has tested the soil’s drainage and confirmed that the site is suitable for septic tank installation; however, final plat approval will be contingent on the district’s future evaluation of the tanks. All development will be more than 300 feet from Priest Lake.
Attorney Preston Carter of the Boise-based Givens Pursley LLP, representing neighboring homeowners, argued that septic tanks are “likely to impact” Priest Lake’s water quality, and their inclusion in the development therefore violates the Local Land Use Planning Act.
“Stepping back a minute, the Coolin Sewer District was created specifically to avoid septic systems around the lake. That’s because septic systems are known to negatively impact water quality,” said Carter. “The sewer district’s bylaws prohibit septic systems within its borders. The sewer district becomes useless if developers can simply install individual septic systems when the district’s infrastructure is inadequate.”
Carter further argued that allowing the development to install septic systems puts the financial burden to repair and expand the Coolin Sewer District on the existing residents. Developers countered, saying that future Yoman Bluffs homeowners will be required to pay the hookup fees and connect to the district once the moratorium ends.
“So, statements have been made that approving this application would fail to protect the natural environment,” said Commissioner Brian Domke. “Really, what that does is that suggests that the board should essentially ignore the authority and the expertise of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Panhandle Health District as jurisdictional agencies that have commented on the proposed subdivision. …
“Obviously, for me, the issue is that on-site septic systems are legally allowed in this situation. So, to deny an application that meets state and county requirements would mean that I’m not upholding the law.”
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the development. View all files associated with Yoman Bluffs at bonnercountyid.gov/s0003-25.
