Project background
Sandpoint's City Beach RV Park was acquired in a 2020 land swap with the owners of the Edgewater Hotel. The facility currently serves 23 RVs and is regularly booked from Memorial Day to Labor Day, generating more than $100,000 per year for the City’s Parks Improvement Fund. Since taking ownership, the City has not made meaningful capital improvements to the RV Park.
The City assumed maintenance responsibilities for City Beach Park in the early 1980s from the Lion's Club. The parking lot has not been resurfaced or meaningfully improved since the mid-1960s.
In 2025 the City was awarded a $950,000 grant from Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for a renovation of the RV Park. Later that year, after extensive public engagement, the Sandpoint community affirmed that a renovated RV Park in that location was preferable to other proposed uses, such as community event space, additional vehicle parking, a food truck court, or seasonal boat storage. By March of 2026 the City had selected HMH Engineering and MTLA Lanscape Architecture as the design team for a renovated RV Park and City Beach parking lot improvement project. To support design, the City allocated $50,000 of Parks Improvement Funds as a match for the state RV grant and $100,000 to fund additional design work for the parking lot renovation.
Facts and Figures
- 23: # of existing RV sites at City Beach
- $100,000: Average revenue generated by the City Beach RV Park to fund parks improvements
- $950,000: Amount awarded to City from Idaho Department of Parks and Rec for RV Park Renovation
- $150,000: Match amount City provided to fund RV Park renovation + City Beach parking lot design
- 290: # of vehicle stalls in the City Beach parking lot today
- 10: # of boat trailer stalls in the City Beach parking lot today
Project Design Principles
- Separate boat trailer and RVs from vehicle-only parking
- Improve access to the boat launch for boaters
- Retain or increase the current number of available vehicle parking stalls
- Increase the current number of boat trailer parking stalls
- Provide a convenient drop-off area that could double as a future SPOT Bus stop
- Improve stormwater treatment and provide shade through landscaping and tree planting
- Create safer, clearer pedestrian connections between parking areas and beach
- Add a restroom/shower facility at south end of the RV Park
- Activate waterfront area at south end of the RV Park
Project Timeline
- May 2026 - Design team refines preliminary concepts
- June 2026 - Parks Commission and public provide input on preliminary concepts
- June 27 - Booth at Farmer's Market (stop by and talk to the design team!)
- July 1, 2026 - City Council approves basis of design
- Summer 2026 - RV Park design completed
- Fall 2026 - Construction begins on RV Park, parking lot design advances to 35%
- Winter 2026 - Construction continues, City applies for grants to help fund parking lot phase
- 2027-2028 - Parking lot design advances to 100%; parking lot construction fall - spring (target)
RV Park renovation is fully funded.
Funding for parking lot phase of project expected to come from grant dollars, paid parking revenue, and parks capital improvement funds.
Concepts
The two concepts being considered have been refined by citizen representatives from the Parks and Recreation Commission in preparation for public input during the month of June. The concepts can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking on each image.
Concept A overview:
- 309 public vehicle parking stalls
- 6 maintenance vehicle parking stalls
- 20 boat trailer stalls
- Dedicated boat launch prep areas
- Boat trailer and RV traffic separate from passenger vehicle traffic
- 18 RV sites (Nine 70' and nine 55' back-in sites)
- 2 van camping sites
- RV traffic: Enter via roundabout and boat launch area, exit directly from RV area (clockwise travel)
- Drop-off zone in front of Snack Shack
- Pedestrian paths around and through parking areas
- 35 new trees
Concept B overview:
- 333 public vehicle parking stalls
- 6 maintenance vehicle parking stalls
- 20 boat trailer stalls
- Dedicated boat launch prep areas
- Boat trailer and RV traffic separate from passenger vehicle traffic
- 18 RV sites (Ten 70' and eight 55' back-in sites)
- 2 van caping sites
- RV traffic: Enter via RV area, exit via boat trailer area and roundabout (counter-clockwise travel)
- Drop-off zone in front of hotel (more parking by snack shack)
- Slightly less pedestrian connections in favor of more green space & trees
- 38 new trees
Differences between Concepts A and B
- Parking: B includes 14 more stalls than A
- Circulation: RV traffic flows in opposite directions in A and B
- Pedestrians vs greenspace: A favors better pedestrian connections, B favors additional green space/trees
- Drop-off zone: A places drop-off zone in front of Snack Shack, B in front of the Hotel closer to park entrance
Similarities between Concepts A and B
Both concepts A and B:
- increase # of vehicle parking stalls compared to today
- increase # of boat trailer stalls from 10 to 20
- result in more asphalt, less green space, in center of park
- result in more green space, less asphalt, in middle of parking lot.
- include a roundabout to filter traffic at park entrance
- improve pedestrian connectivity around and through parking lot (A more so than B)
- bring boat launch up to standard for trailer maneuverability
Opportunities to give your input!
- Stop by City Hall between now and July 1st, where concepts are on display in the lobby. Talk to staff, leave a sticky note with your feedback or suggestions.
- Visit us at the Farmers Market on June 27th from 9am - 11am, where the concepts will be on display. Talk to the design team and representatives from the Parks & Recreation Commission, leave your comments on a sticky note.
- Attend the Sandpoint City Council meeting on July 1st, 5:30pm at 1123 Lake Street (City Hall). Staff will present concepts along with feedback collected to Council and ask for direction for advancing design to next stage. Public input is always welcome at City Council meetings!
