I am looking forward to seeing Riverstone rise, what a great town CdA is(my top 5 in the US). Spokane with the 15-15 story rises planed for N Bank/Kendall and all these residentials going up in CdA this will bring some vivrant life in to the much underated Inland NW. It has been a few years since I have been back to Cd'A an old freind I have not talked to in years runs the Shred Shed downtown is it still around?

Good to see the project underway...I completed a 47 page analysis of their EIS for a transportation class last spring...needless to say, having never driven that road before, I perspicaciously know it better than ALL OF YOU :haha: :haha:

Not sure why you quoted me with your question but anyway, I haven't been to CDA for many years, wouldn't know. Maybe Jimtheman can answer it.

You're right-Spokane has some good stuff planned. Some wouldn't believe it because they don't post too much on their thread (or maybe I just post too much about Coeur d'Alene), but they have a lot of new projects planned or underway. Kendall Yards is the big one of course.

Shred Shed is still around. I know they've been in business for a long time. They were on Sherman Avenue downtown, but they moved to Northwest Boulevard a little north of the main entrance to North Idaho College.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you think of the project?

I don't know if you're familiar with the Sand Creek Bypass project in Sandpoint, but it has taken YEARS for this project to get approved, mainly because of environmental concerns and citizens groups opposing the project. That is different from this project (the section of US 95 expansion from the southern end of Sandpoint to Coeur d'Alene). I never read about any major opposition or environmental concerns (only the normal issues that come into play with environmental impact statements).

Yeah, I'm dumb :yuck:

I don't have any source for that information. I got it from counting the floors from the rendering on the Miller Stauffer website. There are two problems with that: 1) I don't know if the rendering portrays the actual floor count and if I counted all the floors correctly (sounds stupid, I know) and 2) The rendering on the website is not labeled as one of 4 Riverstone towers---it just says Cd'A Mixed Use Development, which leads me to believe it is for Riverstone but I am not sure.

I was just in a hurry in trying to get to the top spot on the second page of this thread. Either way, I know 165' was stated as the proposed height of the four towers, but things are still open for change. If they build 165', then the 14 floor number certainly would be feasible---11.8 ft./floor.

Ok Cottonwood, I'm finally done with school and am moving back to Cd'A in the next few weeks, so as promised you can expect some pictures of Hayden Lake and the city of Hayden in the next couple of weeks.

:haha: Oh well, 14 is what I counted on the rendering too. :)

Looking forward to the pics.

So I think we are desperately wanted back in the NW forum. We tried posting there but no one cared!

I saw that. I was going to post the reasons why we (or at least myself) came over to the MW: First, as of now, we are two different metros. Second, most of the Spokane posters didn't care too much for stuff coming from Cd'A. Third, the rest of the state in in the MW Forum.

As one of the more frequent Spokane posters I'd like to have CdA posts in the NW forum. I understand keeping CdA with the rest of the state and that the two metros are technically distinct but for all intents and purposes they are essentially the same metropolitan area (and will probably be formally considered one metro soon). Anyway, I think some of the difficulties from before may have stemmed from the fact that there was only one thread for the entire Spokane/CDA areas. Now, it will be easier to have posts about CDA without the difficulties presented by the single thread concept. My 2 cents.

:previous: I prefer the CD'A thread in the Mountain West forum with the rest of the state. I sometimes look at the Spokane/CDA thread and it is probably one of the most quiet threads in the Northwest forum. There is more activity here IMO, and the rest of Idaho is in this forum.

Regretably, I think that the Coeur d'Alene projects topic should be moved to the Northwest forum for three reasons. Firstly, Spokane is in the NW forum, and Coeur d'Alene and Spokane are essentially in the same metro area. Secondly, with the departure of Seattle and Portland, there isn't very much going on in the NW forum, so they need us. And lastly, if Boise and Southern Idaho see themselves as more "interior western" that is totally fine, but Coeur d'Alene is very northwestern in character.

Harrison faces growth that could either destroy or revive it
 

Will the population of the small city of Harrison increase 10-fold? Harrison has about 280 residents, but could have over 2,900 if it decides to annex a nearby development:

A city's choice
Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
By TOM GREENE

HARRISON -- ...A the town of about 280 residents.

According to the local historical society, there was more steamboat trade out of Harrison on Lake Coeur d'Alene than any other lake west of the Mississippi River in the early 19th century. The Harrison lumber mills supplied timber to the mining towns booming in Silver Valley. Before the fire of 1917, Harrison's population hovered around 2,000 people -- at the time, much larger than Coeur d'Alene across the lake -- and was being considered for the county seat.

Harrison is currently being wooed by a developer whose plan is to build between 1,000 homes to 1,300 homes, three 18-hole golf courses and an equestrian center on a 2,000-acre property on the Powderhorn Peninsula across the bay.

If Harrison annexes the land for the Powderhorn Ranch development, its population could explode by a multiple of 10 in the amount of time it takes to build a gated community with homes that have an average a price of about $2.3 million.

"There's a lot of talk and people have taken polarized positions," said Mayor Josephine Prophet. "The size of Powderhorn compared to the size of Harrison? You can't think about it hardly. And it comes all at once. Most growth comes slowly."

Harrison employs one clerk, two full-time maintenance workers and one part-time maintenance worker.

In the 2007 budget, property taxes accounted for about $64,000 of Harrison's $180,000 general fund budget.

Powderhorn Ranch would build a new sewer system for the city and the homes are estimated to bring in from $5 million to $6.5 million annually for the city's general fund in property taxes using the current mill levy rate.

Even though Harrison's sewer system is near capacity, Prophet said, the town will be able to meet future needs with or without Powderhorn Ranch.

"We can address the sewer, we can address the water, we can fix the streets," Prophet said.

But it doesn't come without a cost and, since it is a small pool they are drawing from, it hurts.

A local improvement district five years ago for improvements and expansion of the sewer cost homeowners $4,200 per home and property owners who have empty lots paid about half that, Prophet said.

Harrison is in the final stages of finalizing a contract with an attorney hired, in part, to handle Powderhorn Ranch's annexation proposal. The annexation process hasn't officially begun, but Powderhorn developers have had some time in City Council meetings to pitch the project and have submitted a pre-annexation application.

Prophet said a host of studies are needed before any decisions can be reached.

Powderhorn Ranch has already tried the county track for project approval. Kootenai County commissioners gave the green light for the project against the recommendation of the county planning commission in 2006.

After a protest was filed, a judge ruled in July 2007 that the commissioners should have held another public hearing and their decision was invalid. Powderhorn Ranch would have to go through the whole process again, which would require at least two more hearings for approval.

The only Kootenai County commissioner from the first decision who still holds office is Rick Currie. He cast the one vote against the project at the first hearing.

In January, three of the current City Council members will be stepping down, and there are five candidates running for their jobs in what could be the most important race in Harrison's history.

"This council could go ahead and do something or wait for the new council," Prophet said. "What we really need are people who study the pros and cons with an open mind and look at everything thoroughly."
Link to full article:http://www.cdapress.com/articles/200...ews/news01.txt

Looking forward to them!

165' towers allowed closer to the park in Riverstone...4 165' towers proposed in Riverstone...I don't think it's a coincidence...

Because of this change, and in reading the article, it now sounds like the 4 towers in Riverstone will not be in the SE corner of the project as originally proposed---they will be more central, close to the park and pond.

In other business, the Planning Commission allowed parking requirements for the condos in Riverstone to be reduced and they passed the new Comprehensive Plan. Of course, all of these changes and approvals are just recommendations and must be passed by the city coucil.

Here's the article:
Zoning changes get mixed reaction
Posted: Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
By LUCY DUKES

COEUR d'ALENE -- In a split vote, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved changes in the Riverstone development on Tuesday that one commission member said would threaten taxpayer investment in Riverstone Park.

One of the changes allows building residential high-rises up to 165 feet tall closer to the park than before, which planning commissioner Mary Souza said made her uncomfortable.

"The public has invested a lot of money in this park," she said.

"I want to protect the assets that the park has for the public."

The Lake City Development Corporation will refund $3.2 million in park development costs to SRM Development over the next several years, using property tax revenue generated by the Riverstone development.

Souza and Heather Bowlby voted against the proposal, while Tom Messina and Scott Rasor voted in favor. John Bruning broke the tie with a yes vote.

Messina noted the development is in progress and said he wouldn't be surprised if it changed again because such developments take time.

Rasor said the only party affected by the change would be Riverstone.

Bruning said he didn't think building a high-rise next to the park would affect users.

"I didn't see it as that big a change, to tell you the truth," he said.

However, Bowlby said the changes were too much for her, and she was concerned about commercial land use closer to the neighboring Bellerive than initially approved.

"This is not what this is promoted as," she said.

"It's a project change that I can't get my arms around."

Development manager Dave Tomson said that changing the location for residential towers allowed under the mixed use high-rise designation made the development flow better.

"What we're doing with the towers we think looks better, feels better," he said.

Other revisions approved include reducing the mixed-use high-rise designation from 7.81 acres to 6.26, in addition to moving a designated section from the edge of the park to the more central location. The designated commercial was increased from 8.1 acres to 14.69 and the mixed use was reduced from 9.66 acres to 4.5.

The underlying C-17 commercial zoning allows unlimited height for commercial buildings, and limits residential buildings to around 43. The mixed-use high-rise in Riverstone allows for the higher residential buildings -- up to 165 feet -- but only in the areas designated. Whether a building is residential or commercial depends upon the predominant use of the structure.

The changes were market driven, developers said.

In other business, the commission passed the new Comprehensive Plan after a second public hearing, where nobody commented on tweaking done in response to comments made at the first. The plan has been two and a half years in the making and will have to go to public hearing before City Council for final approval. A hearing date has not yet been set.
Link to full article:http://www.cdapress.com/articles/200...ews/news03.txt

Are they going ahead though with the towers?

Yes, they are, but they seem to be 1-3 years down the road. Not much news about them now except for the zoning change...

It has been kind of quiet in this neck of the woods for the past couple of weeks, but I do have two new articles to post. I am out of the country right now so I will post them after I get back next week. AND I HAVE PICTURES FROM THE UPPER FLOORS OF THE 20 STORY PARKSIDE BUILDING!!!

It will be nice to see your pics. I was afraid we lost you to the Northwest forum . Don't leave us.:haha: