Scaled-back plans for the Grand Payette Hotel fronting on Payette Lake in downtown McCall were given the first review Tuesday night by the McCall Area Planning & Zoning meeting.

Developer Bob Hunt plans a condominium hotel on the property he owns north of the Lake and First street intersection that includes the Yacht Club.

The structure would be no taller than 35-feet, thus meeting the city's building height limit, Wayne Ruemmele of Epikos Planning & Architecture told the commission during a pre-application meeting.

No action was taken Tuesday because there was no formal application before the P&Z. If Hunt returns with a formal application, public hearings would be scheduled before the P&Z and the McCall City Council.

In 2006, Hunt revealed plans for a 50-foot tall hotel at the site. Eventually the City of McCall changed its city code not to allow developments over 35 feet along the lakefront in downtown McCall.

Hunt, who owns The Hunt Lodge, Super 8 Motel and the Western Mountain Lodge in McCall, was not present at themeeting.

The scaled back hotel would consist of 20 privately owned condominiums that would be rented as 36 to 38 hotel rooms.

Each condominium could have rooms locked off to form hotel rooms.

The plans call for a 1,700 square-foot restaurant on the east side of the building and 1,500-square-foot bar on the east side of the building.

The project would also have a large deck overlooking Payette Lake. The Yacht Club building would be torn down for the hotel, just as it would have been for the larger project.

The commission had questions about parking at the site, how the site would be constructed, lake access and community housing.

The plan calls for 54 parking spaces to be located below the hotel. Cars would get to the garage by using a vehicle elevator.

Building ramps to the underground parking would take up too much room on the property, Ruemmele said.

There would also be six parking spaces at street level. Access to the lake from the front of the development was a worry of commission member Shane Jeffries.

People would be able to reach the lake by going through the building, but there are no plans to create lake access from the outside, Ruemmele said.

Lakeside access to the property would be through a planned lakefront boardwalk that would end at the hotel.

"It's not intended to be closed off," Ruemmele said. Commission Chair Bob Youde's biggest concern was how the project would be constructed.

"The construction phasing and design will be difficult," Youde said.

Ruemmele agreed. He said a tower crane might be used to construct the hotel on the property.
Commissioners asked how the project would provide affordable housing as required under city code. Ruemmele said that Hunt was considering either providing affordable housing on another property he owns or paying an in lieu fee.

Hunt plans to build a meeting and event center on his Hunt Lodge property along Third Street in McCall. Hunt will also begin construction on the Timber Lodge, immediately south of the Hunt Lodge on Third Street, this year.

Hunt also owns the River's Crossing subdivision across the North Fork of the Payette River from the city's Riverfront Park.