The Community Against the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC Coeur Terre Project
Planning Commission
City of Coeur d’Alene
710 E Mullan Ave
Coeur D Alene, ID 83814
Dear the City of Coeur d’Alene Planning Commission,
The intent of the letter is to voice the disagreement with the submitted proposal for the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC’s Coeur Terre project. It is also the intent of the letter to stop any annexation request as it is not required. The project is requesting a proposed +/-442.64-acre annexation form Ag Sub to R-8, R-17, C17, and C-17L.
Summary
The proposed development is failed; it is simply not community development that supports vibrant neighborhoods and safety. It does not cover all the needed concepts for such a large, high-density undertaking, including, but not limited to, police departments, fire departments, medical facilities, greenspace, and ecological impacts. The project will destroy the local community, negatively impact surrounding houses for aesthetics and property value, and obliterate the road system.
50-222. It is the policy of the state of Idaho that cities of the state should be able to annex lands which are reasonably necessary to assure the orderly development of Idaho’s cities. The proposed development is not reasonable, necessary, or orderly.
67-6502 (g)-The Plan creates an undue concentration of population and overcrowding of land.
The project has not published an expected start date to break ground or schedule for completion but is asking that the 442.64-acres of property be annexed into the City of Coeur d’Alene. The fact that no projected start date is in place should stop this annexation immediately. The burden to the tax-paying citizens for the public hearing is already too significant as there is no execution plan on record and no current need.
Upon contacting the Kootenai County planning office, it was made clear to the public that Kootenai county does not have the right to keep this action from happening. The fact that the current governing body of the land cannot stop this action appears to be a legal loophole. It is appalling, and developers have used the loophole to push their agendas over the community’s best interest.
Annexation at this time, before the Idaho Transportation Department even starts its Kootenai county road assessment, is deliberate. The developer will purposely start housing builds nearest to the current Huetter Road to keep their land from being used for any road expansion and forcing it to fall entirely inside Post Falls. They would be supporting the KMPO’s current vision for road expansion but not necessarily the right idea for the county. Keeping the current, unresearched vision will make the developer more money while gravely impacting the residents of Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene.
The proposal for this much land development is that of another city, not a small development. Coeur d’Alene Planning department does not have the right to sanction this annexation, regardless of what they feel their legal authority is currently. The likelihood that the entire area would be split off into another small city in the future is high. It is also not desired by the community, and Coeur d’Alene needs to respect the majority over the minority parties involved.
LEV [NN] LLC
The holding company of the land being reviewed and additional property in the area uses the legal company name of ‘LEV’ and then a number and then ‘LLC’ to manage the land assets. The original proposal for the Coeur Terre project, which has now been removed from the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC’s website, had initially planned to have less density for their entire acreage, which is over 1,050 acres.
However, the company has left behind a rough view of the master plan on the page for The Enclave , as seen below. The plan is massive and will turn this section of the prairie into a city.
Simply, the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC is being disingenuous, and all their current and future plans must be reviewed.
Another City, Not Residential
It is incorrect to say that the Coeur Terre project promotes orderly growth, preserves the quality of Coeur d’Alene, protects the environment, promotes economic prosperity, and fosters the safety of the residents. It must do this to comply with both the Idaho State Code and the Coeur d’Alene Planning Commission’s charter. An argument that this was part of the 2040 planning document does not make it valid for growth. The planning document contains many inaccuracies around development and economics.
The density proposed for the 442 acres is city development, not a simple, small residential development. In addition, the proposal does not account for the new development to the North and the lack of roads, schools, and other needs for long-term growth and to ensure the quality of Coeur d’Alene remains intact.
The total potential development area is nearly half the size of the City of Coeur d’Alene proper, south of I-90, much of the same density, less green space (by almost 60%), fewer roads, less access to transportation, and less ability for local stores.
Roads
The annexation is requested before the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) finishes its review for improved road systems in the area. ITD has decided a county-wide population and traffic model needs to be updated for the PEL study; it could be years before the NEPA is started and completed.
The developer’s design also doesn’t include the already over-saturated report for Seltice Way, which will gridlock the area due to the overbuilding by the river between Atlas Road and Riverstone Drive as shown in the SELTICE ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS – COEUR TERRE ADDENDUM conducted by CivTech.
The current estimate for Seltice Way would require 3-lane roads in both directions to accommodate the amount of traffic from the excessive development at the river, let alone another development of this magnitude at Huetter Road.
However, even with this more moderate growth rate of 2% annually, the dual lane roundabout is projected to start breaking down by 2045, with and without the Coeur Terre site traffic – negating the need to change to a traffic signal system along the corridor and prepare for three-lanes in the westbound direction of travel.
The proposed changes to Huetter Road from the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC will take most of the speeds on the road from 45 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour or less. Additional traffic jams can be expected at all major turn lanes at Prairie Avenue, Poleline Avenue, and Seltice Way.
City and Community Needs (Safety and Healthcare)
In nearly the same square miles of potential building area, the City of Coeur d’Alene has three (3) elementary schools (Winton, Fernan, Bryan), not just one (1). It also has several academy schools as well. Post Falls is becoming overcrowded after having just built a new school less than two years ago. The expected growth in the area will require more than just one elementary school and one middle school. It should also account for more parks and recreation areas. It would also require more large sports fields to support more school teams.
Currently, the area is serviced by Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, and their response time for the area is lengthy today. Adding another 4,000+ residents into that area will place strain on public safety as there would be new stress placed on Coeur d’Alene’s police department.
Fire and rescue departments are not in the developer’s designs which will be even more critical with the growth of the population. Additional service for the 442 acres and the misplanned development by the riverfront at Atlas Road continues to show development companies cannot be trusted to promote sustainable growth.
Emergency medical treatment and healthcare centers are not in the design either. However, the roads have already been found not to support timely responses in the case of an emergency.
Buyers Are Not Residents
It has become abundantly pervasive that buyers of these locations are not residents of the home. They are typically investors who then rent out the properties. Rental properties and micro-leases do not support residences and healthy communities. Throughout the United States of America, these impacts are being fought against due to the drastic adverse effects on the community and its people.
Northern Idaho is not unique in its problem with housing development requests nor in ignoring the learnings from other parts of the country where expansive growth has destroyed what was in place.
Landlords are removing low-income families’ ability to gain home equity. The renters are also subjected to the landlords’ rent increases which can happen every six (6) months.
55-2006 (3) A landlord shall give written notice of such change to each affected home owner at least ninety (90) days prior to any amendment to the rental agreement. The landlord may not amend the rental agreement or rules more frequently than once in a six (6) month period.
Conclusion
The annexation must not be permitted as there is enough evidence that the development proposed does not support Idaho Code. It is also not a design that meets the needs of the community.
50-222. It is the policy of the state of Idaho that cities of the state should be able to annex lands which are reasonably necessary to assure the orderly development of Idaho’s cities. The proposed development is not reasonable, necessary, or orderly.
67-6502 (g)-The Plan creates an undue concentration of population and overcrowding of land.
The proposed development is not reasonable, necessary, or orderly.
The plans of the Kootenai County Land Company, LLC are dangerous and adversely impact Kootenai county in total. The project is not ready to be reviewed because of the lack of roads, schools, green space, community needs, and city planning.
It is no question that growth in Kootenai county will continue in the future. The question is the value of the growth as it has been completed today and what the impacts will be with development projects which have not yet been completed.
Sincerely,
Community Signatures