Note: The deadline has been extended to September 30, 2024.
Correction: The previous version of this story had the wrong date for the RFP submission deadline. The deadline is August 30, 2024.
Approximately 12.5 acres of Idaho Endowment Land is up for lease in McCall and the Idaho Department of Lands is looking for takers.
The state is looking for proposals from developers for a piece of land it owns at the corner of Deinhard Ln. and Spring Mountain Rd. That’s just west of the Ridley’s store.
The property, known as the Deinhard A parcel, is currently zoned as “community commercial” which means it can be used for retail, service, and mixed-use projects. Community commercial zoning also allows a maximum of 40 dwelling units an acre.
IDL Public Information Officer Sharla Arledge said each proposal will be looked at and considered. Still, Arledge said the state has a “sensitivity” when it comes to “split estate” situations where the state owns the land but people would own houses built on the land. She said this is because of previous complications the state experienced with cottage sites on endowment lands near Payette Lake.
A lease of up to 49 years is available for the property.
The winner of the request for proposals will negotiate a lease with IDL. Because the land is Idaho Endowment Land, that lease will then go through an auction process. The state will send out a notice of auction for the lease and the RFP winner will bid against any other party interested in fulfilling the plans and terms negotiated in the lease. If no one expresses interest in the lease, the state will consider the auction fulfilled and the lease is awarded to the RFP winner. Arledge said multiple bidders at lease auctions on sand, gravel and timber sale leases are common. The state hasn’t done a commercial lease auction in a while, but Arledge said she’s not sure having multiple bidders is as common for commercial properties.
The Deinhard site is one of the pieces of land outlined in the Payette Endowment Lands Strategy, and was one of the sites a developer hoped to convert to private land in a failed 2020 proposal.
“On something that’s specific, it might be more difficult for somebody to come in and match what has been laid out. Sure. You may not see the competitive bidding you would with other lease options,” she said.
The deal will produce funds for the Public School Endowment Fund. All RFPs must be submitted by Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.
