Zoning dispute with county ends for Hayden Lake couple

Settled. After waiting two years and pouring in tens of thousands of dollars, a Hayden Lake couple has compromised with the Kootenai County Building and Planning Department over a hold-up on their landscaping plan. "I think it looks good. I'm out a lot of money, but you know, it was something I was about ready to cave in on," said Jim Barney on Wednesday.

Settled.

After waiting two years and pouring in tens of thousands of dollars, a Hayden Lake couple has compromised with the Kootenai County Building and Planning Department over a hold-up on their landscaping plan.

"I think it looks good. I'm out a lot of money, but you know, it was something I was about ready to cave in on," said Jim Barney on Wednesday.

Jim and his wife Nancy had been in negotiations with the county over a red tag on their relandscaping plan for two years.

The project, intended to stabilize their property and prevent their deck from collapsing, had been permitted in 2007 and had passed inspections during construction. But the county suddenly red tagged the project for activity too close to the lake in 2008, after $80,000 of work had been completed.

Since then, the Barneys had invested roughly $30,000 into new designs, construction, consulting and attorneys to gain county approval.

The debacle was settled earlier this month, Jim said. After all is said and done, he is amazed that the project looks much the same, but for more plants and swales.

"We ended up right where we would have been two years ago," he said. "But it was a huge relief. My wife and I, it's just a lot off our shoulders."

The final piece of the settlement involved planting more vegetation in the backyard of his lakeshore property, he said, which cost roughly $700 for both plant purchases and hiring help for planting in rocky areas.

He planted the last plant Wednesday morning, he added, and the county has informed him the red tag will be lifted.

The county will also return the $5,000 bond he paid when he first obtained the site disturbance permit.

Planning Director Scott Clark was out of the office for the rest of the week and unavailable for comment.

The couple has received calls from others who have had a similar run-in with the county, Jim said.

"I think there are other people in the same situation," he said. "If this (settlement) has helped anybody else, it's a good thing. It's over for us, and we're glad it's over."