A residential development of 39 one-acre lots is being proposed for an area above the southeast shore of Newman Lake, northeast of Spokane, where future home owners would share in the ownership of a 350-acre waterfront natural area.

Developer Karl Wilkinson, a real estate agent with Re/Max of Spokane, says the 39 lots aren't for sale yet and can't be advertised or offered for sale until Spokane County approves a preliminary plat for the project. The 390-acre proposed development site is adjacent to West Newman Lake Drive and North Starr Road.

Wilkinson, of Otis Orchards, says he would market the lots if the project goes forward. The development is being called Winter Glen for now, he says.

Stan and Ling Winter, of Newman Lake, own the property, Wilkinson says.

The property is zoned rural conservation, which allows for what's called rural clustering. The county's seven-year-old rural-cluster development ordinance allows developers to cluster lots as small as one acre in size, so long as they agree to preserve at least 70 percent of the overall development site as open space.

Wilkinson says he hopes to begin marketing the lots as soon as March and estimates they'll range in price from $150,000 to $225,000. Buyers will have invested roughly $350,000 to $800,000, or more, once they've constructed homes on those lots, he says.

"The strongest point is the sheer beauty of the setting there by the lake, with views of Mount Spokane," he says.

Each of the 39 lots will have views overlooking the lake, with the 350 acres of natural area separating the lots from the lake. He describes the proposed open-space area, which includes 3,000 feet of lake frontage, as part wetlands and part hayfield, and adds, "It's some perfect wildlife habitat."

Wilkinson says he's looking for an architect to create some preliminary home designs, which would be used to establish the character of the homes built in the development. He says he envisions environmentally conscious designs.

If the preliminary plat is approved, which could occur this month or perhaps next, he says he's going to begin soliciting contracts for infrastructure work, which would include installing roads and utilities. He anticipates that work could be completed by summer.

Inland Power & Light Co. would provide power to the proposed development, Avista Corp. would provide natural gas, and Moab Irrigation District, of Newman Lake, would provide water. The homes would use septic systems, Wilkinson says.