The owners of Whitetail Club and Resort in McCall want to convert the lodge into a private residence club. Under the plan, rooms would be privately owned but the public would still be able to rent a stay when the owners were not using the rooms.

A hearing on the proposed conversion is scheduled during Tuesday's meeting of the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission's meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the lower level meeting room at McCall City Hall.

If approved, the proposed Whitetail Residence Club would see the current 77 suites in the hotel on Payette Lake combined into 41 private residences of varying sizes, according to the resort's application with the city.

The rooms would be marketed for fractional ownership, a concept already in use by McCall area projects as Hotel McCall, Hearthstone and Blackhawk, Whitetail President John Sabala said.

The residences would be sold in blocks of five to seven weeks with a starting price of around $150,000, Sabala said.

The new owners would have the option of placing unused time into a rental pool, where the public would be able to rent one or two bedroom suites, similar to what the lodge offers today, he said.

"There is also the option for owners to stay in one side of their unit while locking off the door in-between and renting the other side out, providing ultimate flexibility to owners and guests," he said.

The conversion application is being heard at the same time the lodge's owner, Manchester Grand Resorts of San Diego, is actively soliciting buyers for the hotel, marina, 18-hole golf course and residential development on 1,400 surrounding acres.

The conversion of the lodge would not begin while offers to buy were being considered, Sabala said. "We have chosen to move forward with the city approval process only to better position ourselves if a sale does not transpire," he said.

Whitetail Residence Club would be an alternative for those who cannot afford, or do not want to pay, hefty prices for lakefront condominiums, Sabala said.

"We will be providing second home buyers, who have been visiting Valley County for decades, an amazing place to own on the lake for the period of time they would normally choose to visit each year," he said.

Conversion to private ownership also would generate more occupancy year-round for the
hotel, which in turn would benefit the local economy, he said. The existing commercial spaces, including The Narrows and Emma's restaurants, The Narrows Lounge and meeting spaces would still be owned by Whitetail and continue to be open to the public.

The lodge would continue to rent space for public and community events such as weddings, reunions and receptions, Sabala said.

If private ownership moves forward, remodeling of the rooms would be done over several phases that would likely take a year, he said.