Idaho to auction 61 lots near Priest Lake

Idaho is putting up 61 Priest Lake lots for auction as part of an ongoing effort to remove the state from leasing land to cabin owners.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the Idaho Department of Lands will auction the lots Aug. 18-19 at the Coeur d’Alene Report. All but four of the lots are currently leased to people who own cabins on the sites.

Proceeds from renting lakefront land had previously gone toward an education endowment, but disagreements over fair market value and getting a maximum return for the schools prompted the sales.

The plan is to sell the state-owned residential cottage sites on Priest Lake and Payette Lake in northern Idaho by the end of 2019. Nearly 270 cottage sites have been auctioned already, most of those in the last several years. A lottery has set the order for the auctions