New court date issued for Panhandle Bike Ranch dispute
June 24, 2026
By Soncirey Mitchell and Ben Olson Reader Staff
The ongoing land designation dispute between Bonner County and Panhandle Bike Ranch will go before First Judicial District Judge Regina McCrea on Tuesday, June 30 at the Kootenai County Courthouse (324 W. Garden Ave., in Coeur d’Alene). The hearing, initially scheduled for June 16, will include a ruling on the county’s cease-and-desist letter and the nonprofit’s ongoing operations.
PBR, located on more than 170 acres in Sagle, has bounced between courts and county boards since 2024. The property, zoned Rural 10, requires a conditional use permit for any commercial land uses, which founders Scott and Jennifer Kalbach received in 2024, authorizing them to build a commercial “recreational facility.” Neighboring members of the Five Lakes Estates community repeatedly appealed the decision, which the First Judicial Court of Idaho overturned in June 2025, finding that the county “failed to list facts supporting” the CUP’s approval. The Kalbachs then filed for and received federal and state recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, eliminating the organization’s commercial aspect, and began operations.
One of the trails at the Panhandle Bike Ranch. Photo courtesy of Panhandle Bike Ranch
The nonprofit’s board later requested the county change PBR’s land designation from a recreational facility to a “park,” which is an allowed use in Rural 10 zoning and therefore does not require a CUP. Bonner County Revised Code 12-816 defines a park as a “noncommercial facility designed to serve the recreational needs of the residents of the community.” The Bonner County Planning Department and then-Interim Planning Director Alex Feyen denied the redesignation request and advised PBR to reapply for the permit. Rather than reapply, the nonprofit entered into litigation with the county in January over its land use designation, later opening for the summer season in May, despite the absence of a legal ruling. On May 27, Bonner County ordered PBR to suspend its operations “unless or until” the court rules in its favor.
The June 30 hearing will determine whether PBR must comply with the cease-and-desist letter.
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