Three-story lakefront buildings in McCall approved amid fuel tank concerns

Three-story lakefront buildings in McCall approved amid fuel tank concerns

An updated plan for a mixed-use development overlooking Payette Lake was approved this week by the McCall Planning and Zoning Commission.

The development, known as The Hardy, would add five three-story buildings on a lot at 1301 E. Lake St., directly across from Mile High Marina, according to plans submitted by Lake Star Ventures of Boise.

Ground floor commercial spaces would face Lake Street, while 4,900-square-foot townhomes would face Mill Street and occupy the second and third floors of each building.

Each townhome would include an attached garage, two floors of living space, and a rooftop deck with a hot tub and sauna. The buildings would rise 35 feet from Lake Street and about 20 feet from Mill Street.

A similar project was approved by P&Z in 2024, but Lake Star filed new plans this spring that call for five individual buildings instead of one large building. The change was based on public comments, engineering analysis, and construction phasing needs, according to Alex Sawyer, a Lake Star representative.

P&Z voted 4-1 in favor of approving the new design, though legal documents for the approval will not be finalized until the commission’s October meeting.

Fuel tanks concerns divide P&Z

Commissioner Dave Petty voted against the project amid concerns that construction could rupture the marina’s underground fuel tanks on the property. The approval carries several conditions related to the tanks and requires Lake Star to hold a $2 million insurance policy for leaks, but Petty said it is too risky to build so close to the tanks.

“Whether it’s $2 million or $4 million, the lake will be harmed,” he said. “I just can’t get past that.”

The marina’s two 10,000-gallon fuel tanks are buried on Lake Star’s property under a 2006 easement that provides for continued access to the tanks for maintenance and operations. The marina’s tanks, which would be beneath a pedestrian paver patio if The Hardy is built, supply Payette Lake’s only on-water fueling service.

The rest of the commission, however, was comfortable that multiple spill prevention measures in place would sufficiently protect Payette Lake, the city’s drinking water source.

Those measures include an underground concrete wall built to protect the tanks, construction restrictions based on whether the tanks are full, pressure testing, and leak sensors.

“It’s not like a whole tank is going to dump into the lake,” P&Z Chairman Robert Lyons said. “I worry more about the pumps out there (on the dock).”

Barrier wall questions

An underground concrete wall was built to protect the tanks as a requirement of the approval for the original project, but marina representatives said it was built about a foot too close to the tanks.

The placement of the wall was heavily discussed during a series of P&Z meetings this summer, with the marina insisting that it be rebuilt to the original plans or that construction be limited to only when the marina is closed and the tanks are empty.

An independent engineer, however, confirmed in a July 2 letter that the as-built wall meets all engineering standards and best practices for underground fuel tanks.

“It is our opinion that the narrative and supporting calculations provided by Vector adequately show that the H-pile wall design is in conformance with the building code and recommended practices of PEI 100,” said Kirk Winegar of Horrocks Engineers.

P&Z’s approval requires all foundation work and work directly above the storage tanks to be completed when the tanks are empty, which is typically between Oct. 1 and late May.

The commissioners also added a condition that requires Lake Star to test fuel lines beneath Lake Street for leaks during construction, in addition to testing the tanks.

Vacant commercial space

The city is requiring Lake Star to separate the buildings into condominiums to allow the commercial spaces and townhomes to be owned by different people.

City and Sustainability Planner Meredith Todd said the requirement would promote occupancy in the commercial spaces.

Lake Star initially proposed to keep the commercial spaces tethered to the townhomes by deed while remaining functionally separate, with no connecting doors or stairwells.

City officials, however, worried that model could lend itself to buyers purchasing the property for residential use and leaving the commercial space vacant.

“I don’t have a commercial space in my house, and one of the reasons is, I don’t want to mess with it,” City Attorney Bill Punkoney said.