A Bonner County land use dispute involving the Panhandle Bike Ranch in Sagle will head back to court on Tuesday, June 30, after a scheduling change pushed the proceeding from its original June 16 date. First Judicial District Judge Regina McCrea will preside over the hearing at the Kootenai County Courthouse, 324 W. Garden Ave., in Coeur d’Alene.
At the center of the case is whether the Panhandle Bike Ranch can legally continue operations following a county cease-and-desist order issued on May 27. The property, a 170-plus-acre recreational site founded by Scott and Jennifer Kalbach, sits in Sagle and is zoned Rural 10.
A Long-Running Land Use Battle
The dispute stretches back to 2024, when Bonner County approved a Conditional Use Permit allowing the Kalbachs to operate a commercial recreational facility on the property. Neighboring residents in Five Lakes Estates appealed that decision, and the First Judicial Court of Idaho sided with them in June 2025, overturning the CUP approval.
Rather than halting activity, PBR pursued an alternative path. The organization obtained federal and state 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and asked Bonner County to reclassify the property’s designation from a commercial recreational facility to a park — a distinction that could affect the permitting requirements under county code. The Bonner County Planning Department denied that redesignation request.
PBR entered formal litigation with the county in January over the land use classification. Despite that ongoing legal fight, the ranch opened for its summer season in May, prompting Bonner County to issue the cease-and-desist order later that month.
What the Hearing Will Decide
Judge McCrea’s ruling will address both the validity of the county’s cease-and-desist letter and the broader question of whether PBR may continue operations while litigation proceeds. The outcome could determine whether the ranch remains open through the summer or must suspend activity pending further legal resolution.
The case highlights tensions common to rural North Idaho communities, where agricultural and residential zones increasingly border recreation-oriented developments. Property owners, neighbors, and county planners often find themselves at odds over what land use designations allow — and how nonprofit status affects those calculations.
The June 30 hearing is open to the public at the Kootenai County Courthouse in Coeur d’Alene. No ruling timeline has been publicly announced.