The Sandpoint City Council voted unanimously on July 15 to approve the planned unit development plan and preliminary plat for Ridley Village Court, a 56-townhome project set to be built on 4.1 acres south of Highway 2, between Ridley Village Road and Madison Avenue.
The approval caps a process that stretched roughly two years, with pre-application meetings dating to July 2024. The project is being brought forward by Affinity Real Estate Management, whose representative Aaron Qualls described the units as distinct from typical multi-family housing. “These are single family attached homes,” Qualls said, emphasizing the residential character of the development.
A Long Road to Approval
Before the council’s final vote, the project navigated a back-and-forth over where the development’s common area should be located. The Planning and Zoning Commission initially recommended relocating the common area to Madison Avenue rather than keeping it in a central position within the development. Three council members, including Councilor Kyle Schreiber, voted to adopt that recommendation and move the common area to Madison Avenue.
That decision was subsequently overturned, and the common area was moved back to a central location within the project. The matter was returned to the Planning and Zoning Commission for additional review. The commission ultimately indicated it would accept and support whatever decision the council made on the common area’s placement, clearing the path for final approval.
The council also added several conditions to the project’s conditional use permit before granting approval, though the unanimous final vote reflected broad support for the development moving forward.
Fiscal Impact and Housing Density
Affinity Real Estate Management says the project will contribute roughly $500,000 to capital projects in the area, a figure the developer highlighted as a tangible benefit to the broader community. That financial commitment, combined with the density the project brings to a modest 4.1-acre footprint, drew praise from city leadership.
Mayor Jeffery Grimm voiced strong support for the development’s approach to land use. “This is exactly the type of development that’s contemplated when we talk about using land more efficiently,” Grimm said.
The project fits within a broader conversation Sandpoint has been having about how to accommodate growth while making better use of existing land. As the city weighs competing pressures — including infrastructure costs, neighborhood character, and housing supply — townhome developments like Ridley Village Court represent one answer to fitting more residential units onto smaller parcels without the scale of a large apartment complex.
The location south of Highway 2, situated between two existing roadways, positions the development within an area that already has some commercial and residential activity. Qualls and Affinity Real Estate Management have spent two years working through the city’s approval process, including navigating the Planning and Zoning Commission’s review and the conditional use permit requirements the council imposed.
What Comes Next
With the planned unit development plan and preliminary plat now approved, Affinity Real Estate Management can advance toward the next stages of the development process, including finalizing engineering plans, infrastructure design, and ultimately building permits. The 56 townhomes represent a notable addition to Sandpoint’s housing stock, particularly given the city’s ongoing efforts to manage growth thoughtfully.
The council’s unanimous vote signals strong institutional support for the project, and the Planning and Zoning Commission’s willingness to defer to the council on the common area question suggests the remaining bureaucratic hurdles should be manageable. Residents in the Ridley Village Road and Madison Avenue corridor can expect to see the project move closer to groundbreaking as permitting and engineering work progresses.
The approval comes as Sandpoint continues to work through other land use and development questions. The council recently paused a paid parking rollout following a vote on ordinance adjustments, reflecting the city’s cautious approach to managing public infrastructure alongside growth. Bonner County residents interested in tracking how local governments are shaping development decisions can find additional coverage at BonnerCountyNews.com.