Long Bridge Marina expansion to be discussed at Oct. 1 meeting
September 30, 2026
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The Bonner County Board of Commissioners will consider an application to expand the existing Long Bridge Marina at its 10 a.m. public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 1. Anyone seeking to give public comment must attend the hearing in-person at the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 U.S. 2, in Sandpoint) or online via Zoom by visiting bonnercountyid.gov/meetings.
Attendees looking to watch but not comment can also stream the hearing on the Bonner County Board of Commissioners’ YouTube page.
The two-acre parcel, located at 41 Lakeshore Drive, currently houses a single-family residence, “snack shack,” parking lot, two rental cabins and a commercial marina with 45 existing slips. The property is zoned recreation and falls within a county-designated urban growth area, utilizing services from Southside Water and Sewer District, Sagle Fire District and Avista Utilities.
The proposed expansion by Long Bridge Land Holding Company, LLC would reorganize the existing parking lot and add 47 boat slips to the marina for a total of 92. However, this initial expansion is only Phase 1, as developers have applied for and received an encroachment permit from the Idaho Department of Lands to construct a 268-slip marina.
According to the application, the current CUP would only authorize the 92-slip marina, and the applicants will need to apply for an additional permit should “demand” for dock space increase.
The expanded marina would be open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., April through October.
The Bonner County Zoning Commission rejected the application in February, arguing that the additional traffic generated by the marina would “create a hazard” and would be “dangerous to persons on or adjacent to the property.” The parking lot entrance sits at the intersection of U.S. 95 and Lakeshore Drive, which, according to data published by the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council, had seen six crashes since 2020 at the time of the hearing.
The Idaho Transportation Department constructed a J-turn in 2023 to discourage left turns off of Lakeshore, and has, since the February meeting, restricted left turns entirely with flexible bollards. Commissioners will consider whether the infrastructure change addresses the perceived hazard caused by increased traffic.
To view the complete application, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/Planning.
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