By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
In a joint meeting Dec. 6, members of the Sandpoint City Council and Independent Highway District unanimously approved the vacation and abandonment of a portion of E. Mountain View Road to Bonner County for use by the airport, in exchange for the deeding of an equivalent area of land immediately north of Airport Way.
The airport will use the 4,084-square-foot section of unimproved right of way for additional parking and, according to the county’s application for the road vacation, dated Sept. 18, to “allow construction of an airport hangar to the south of the existing ROW.”
It is so far unclear when the new hangar might be constructed.
An aerial view of the vacated area. Courtesy photo.
The portion of E. Meadow View Road now given to the county measures 164.74 feet in length and is 25 feet wide. The county is the adjacent property owner on both sides of the right of way, “and would therefore become the owner of the entire vacated ROW.”
Meanwhile, the equivalent area of Airport Way to the south, which the county will transfer to the city, would clear the way for extending the sidewalk from the property to the east currently owned by Sandpoint.
According to supporting documents in the agenda report, no properties will lose access to any public street as a result of the vacation, and that portion of right of way hasn’t been used by the public or even maintained as a right of way for the past three years.
Though vacated, both areas will retain all public and private utility easements, drainage easements, irrigation easements and/or other easements.
In a memorandum from Airport Manager Dave Schuck dated Aug. 15, “The proposed exchange is in the public interest in that it removes a useless city right of way from county property allowing additional public parking at Sandpoint Airport. I recommend exchanging these rights of way.”
Under a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Independent Highway District from June — and set to expire in September 2027 — Sandpoint has the right of way over streets within city limits, though IHD owned that particular portion of E. Mountain View Road, requiring the joint meeting, which included a public hearing.
Neither City Hall nor IHD received any written correspondence related to the property exchange, and no testimony was offered at the hearing. Members of the council and district had no discussion or questions for city staff.
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