SANDPOINT – The Bonner County commissioners Monday vacated the last half mile of a public road to Lake Pend Oreille in exchange for a footpath.

Camp Bay Road, which leads to Camp Bay on the Sagle peninsula south of Sandpoint, has been at the center of a fierce public access debate since early last year when a developer first proposed taking control of the road and closing it to the public as he developed a gated community.

The road runs through the middle of the 407-acre development, which the owner, M3 ID Camp Bay LLC, wants to build into a gated subdivision.

Opponents say it is one of the few places for the public to access the lake in that area. They have argued that the road ends at the high-water mark of the lake and therefore provides the public a beachfront of 50 feet .

M3 has argued that the road ends before that point and does not provide public access.

Bonner County District Court was unable to determine the legal endpoint of the road and remanded the decision back the commissioners in September.

In order for the commissioners to legally surrender a public road, they must determine that it is in the public interest to do so. Monday’s hearing focused only on the proposed walking path and its impact on the public interest.

About 60 people attended, with more joining virtually; 75 written comments were submitted beforehand. A majority were opposed to vacating the road.

After four and a half hours of public comments and deliberation, the commissioners voted 3-0 in favor to accept the proposal.

M3 will dedicate a public easement for a 4- to 6-foot pathway ending with a 50-foot beachfront in a different part of the bay. M3 co-owner Bill Brownlee estimated it will cost M3 between $100,000 and $200,000 to build.

In a presentation, Brownlee discussed plans to use the pathway to help link nearby trails to Mineral Point and Gamlin Lake.

During public comment, several hikers spoke in favor of connecting the trail system, while others complained that the trail link was not part of the original proposal M3 submitted, and the public did not have time to read the details.

Under advice of county attorney Bill Wilson, the commissioners said they would not consider the trail link as part of their decision.

Brownlee said afterward he still intends to pursue connecting the trails.

Members of the public opposed to the trail complained that it will not be accessible to those with disabilities, the elderly and the very young. Until now, they could drive to the lake. Kayakers said that portaging the half mile to the lake would take them two trips back and forth for all their gear. Another said he was not physically able to carry his kayak that far.

Others said that the view from the road at the center of the bay, with the Cabinet Mountains in the background, is far superior to the view from the corner of the bay where the proposed path ends.

Those in favor of the proposal – mostly property owners on the bay – called the path “a generous offer.”

This is the second time the commissioners have voted to vacate the road and the third time they have considered the issue. They first voted to vacate the road in April 2021.