Coeur d'Alene/Sandpoint/Moscow/Idaho Pacific Time Zone Development Thread

[jimthemanincda]

Looking forward to some pictures Cody!

[CodyY]

Originally Posted by jimthemanincda

Yes, I saw the article. The bypass has actually been in the planning stages for many years (since 1998). It will still be a little while before it is built, though. I like the idea. As to your feelings that they are just trying to put off improvements to Hwy 41 & 95, don't worry about it. There has been talk about widening and improving each highway (even with the bypass being built). The idea of the bypass is to have motorists passing through the area not have to deal with local traffic. That is why after studying the possibility of making US 95 a limited access freeway, KMPO and ITD are choosing to build a limited access freeway away from currently developed areas. We will still see a busy US 95and SR 41 with all the local traffic, but in the future 95 will be widened to 6 lanes and 41 to 4 lanes.

Here's a picture of the proposed bypass for those not familiar with the areas:
The blue lines are where proposed interchange ramps would be located (I-90, Poleline Avenue, Prairie Avenue, Hayden Avenue, Wyoming Avenue, Lancaster Avenue, Hwy. 95/Hwy. 53)

That was really interesting, you just cleared a lot of things up! Well, I hope this gets done. Right now, there are various improvements going on along SR41 but I don't know if they are like laying down natural gas lines or actually improving the roads. It is strange, the route of the "bypass" because the ITD should start construction on the Lancaster interchange on US95 in the not-to-distant-future.

[jimthemanincda]

If you want more info. on the project, or other highway or transportation projects in Kootenai County, check out the Kootenai Metro Planning Organization website http://www.kmpo.net/

[alphawolf]

That looks like its going to have better access to the airport.

[jimthemanincda]

Originally Posted by alphawolf

That looks like its going to have better access to the airport.

Yes, I agree. Access is fine right now off of Hwy. 95, but it should be good in the future if the airport were to get commercial flights again (I don't know if you're familiar with the area, but Cd'A doesn't have commercial flights right now, though it used to in the 80s and 90s. There really is no need now with the Spokane airport---as large as the Boise airport---being so close to Cd'A, although I think in the next 10-20 years there will be a local push for some flights out of Cd'A).

[jimthemanincda]

A little about the Coeur d'Alene Resort, the city's signature building...

Before (May 1980 after the Mt. St. Helens eruption---yes, that is ash on the ground):


During constrution (1986):


Now (a world-class destination):

[jimthemanincda]

Tomorrow I'll put up an old article from 20 years ago predicting Cd'A's "future." It is surprisingly very, very accurate.

Article from last year on the Resort's 20th Anniversary:
The Coeur d'Alene Resort 20 years ... and counting

COEUR d'ALENE -- It was 20 years ago today that thousands stood in the rain for their first look at what would soon be known as a world-class hotel.

In an era when unemployment was in double digits in some parts of North Idaho and in a city that few outside the state could pronounce, it was seen by some as a risk that could ruin the man who conceived the project and saw it through to completion.

But on that rainy Sunday, nothing could dampen the confidence of Duane Hagadone, as he stood in line to greet as many as 25,000 visitors to The Coeur d'Alene, a Resort on the Lake on its first day open.

"It was huge," Hagadone said. "People were lined up through the park. They waited two to three hours. It was unbelievable.

"I stood there and shook hands for nine hours. I never got a chance to leave. It was a great day."

Hagadone owns The Press and other newspapers in the Northwest, and often held functions at the North Shore, a nine-story hotel and convention center that was the flagship of Western Frontiers, a company that included partners Bob Templin, Bill Reagan Sr. and Joseph Jaeger Jr., who ran a restaurant in Ritzville.

"I learned a great deal from them," said Jerry Jaeger, who began working for his dad in that restaurant in 1960 and later joined Western Frontiers. "In fact Bill's son, Bill Jr., is general manager of The Resort today."

The relationships would prove valuable in laying the groundwork for Hagadone's vision.

"When Bob (Templin) and Bill (Reagan) decided to sell the company they went straight to Duane and asked if he had an interest," Jaeger said.

Hagadone didn't hesitate. On June 6, 1983, Western Frontiers became Hagadone Hospitality with Jaeger as junior partner.

"I acquired the property only on the condition that Jerry Jaeger came on as a partner to run it," Hagadone said. "I, being a newspaper publisher, knew nothing about the hospitality business."

It didn't take long before plans were made for an elaborate makeover of the waterfront property that included the hotel, the convention center and Templin's Restaurant.

"I always thought that it deserved to be a world-class hotel," Hagadone said. "It was on the shore of one of the five most beautiful lakes in the world, downtown, near an international airport."

He traveled the country, with an eye in particular on the Northwest, to see what kind of competition he would face. Others, he found, weren't modern, weren't quality or up to date.

"I wanted to make sure we were No. 1 in the Northwest," Hagadone said. "I wanted to make it 20 percent better than anything else in the Northwest."

He already owned a construction company, which several years before built Kootenai Memorial Hospital -- since renamed Kootenai Medical Center -- and other large projects, and soon was brainstorming with architect R.G. Nelson and John Barlow, president of Hagadone Construction to make his vision a reality.

One of the biggest challenges Hagadone gave them was building the resort while continuing to operate the existing facilities.

"It was something most architects wouldn't get in to," Nelson said.

He asked Hagadone to tear down the hotel and start from scratch, but accepted that that was not economically feasible.

Though the concept developed quickly, sometimes Hagadone's ideas caught even his partner off guard.

Jaeger recalls a presentation in Spokane in 1984, where Hagadone described the Hagadone Suite on the top floor, a Jacuzzi hanging off the side of the building, and a glass-bottomed pool.

"I'm feverishly writing," Jaeger said. "That wasn't in the design."

Hagadone credits Jaeger's hospitality skills for the success of The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

"Jerry has really been the guy who's run the hotel," he said.

Jaeger has as much praise for Hagadone.

"The vision of Duane Hagadone is incredible," he said. "It was the combination of his vision and a wonderful team of employees who made it a success."

It was the same a few years later, when Hagadone decided to build a golf course on the other side of town on a closed sawmill site.

"He asked me what I saw," Jaeger said. "I said an old sawmill that needs to be torn down. He said, 'I see a beautiful golf course.'

"He pointed to a log boom and asked me what I saw. I told him I saw a log boom. He saw a log boom in the shape of a green. He said, 'If they can float logs there, we can float a green.' That's exactly how the floating green became reality."

Five years after The Resort opened, the golf course and Plaza Shoppes opened.

"The first five years we did a lot of customer surveys," Jaeger said. "They loved The Resort and the community, but said it needed a golf course and downtown shopping."

Hagadone is pleased with the success of his vision.

"It's turned out to be a wonderful resort," he said. "It's been a good investment for the Hagadone Corporation and for all of North Idaho."

The project

John Barlow was in his mid-30s, having formed Hagadone Construction Company with Duane Hagadone at age 28, after being in construction since 1972.

He knew he was facing a tough project, and a tough deadline, with orders to complete an 18-story hotel and new convention center in 15 months against daunting obstacles.

"For all but four months, the North Shore was to stay open while we built above and around it," he said.

"There was water on three sides, and a hotel on the fourth."

He'd overseen construction of Kootenai Memorial Hospital, but on a less restrictive schedule.

He had one thing on his side.

"If not for the depressed market, we would have had a hard time getting enough skilled labor," he said.

Normally, there would be one supervisor overseeing the entire job.

At times during the construction, there were as many as 10 working on the hotel.

"It created a fiefdom of each guy," Barlow said.

The payroll of Hagadone Construction was around 400, he said, with as many as 1,000 subcontractors and off-site workers.

"It truly was a difficult and challenging project because of the details and the quality of the work," Barlow said. "The time frame, with two winters and one summer, was hard. It would have been nice if it had been two summers and one winter."

Instead, during those winters of 84-85 and 85-86, the weather was spectacularly cold, enough to freeze over much of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

That was just one challenge, but they got through with no disasters, and only a few miscommunications. Like the chairs for Beverly's, The Resort's upper-level view restaurant, with frames built in Europe to be upholstered in North Carolina.

As finishing time drew near, no frames had been delivered, so they decided to airfreight the specially ordered fabric to Europe for completion.

"In the spring of 1986 two planes crossed paths over the Atlantic," Barlow said. "One carried the frames to North Carolina, and the other the upholstery headed to Europe."

Word of that led to a short, awkward silence during the ensuing phone call, Barlow said, but the chairs were finally delivered on time.

The logistics of construction with limited access meant bringing in massive amounts of material through a corridor from the old convention center, where the parking garage now sits. With hundreds of workers moving through the six-foot-wide, 500-foot-long passage, it was so busy it became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

It was just one of the memorable parts of the construction that concluded just in time for his 36th birthday on May 3, 1986.

"It was rewarding to look back on," Barlow said. "But when it was finished, we didn't want to go back in, I was so tired."

He credits the leadership of his boss for inspiring those who worked for him, even as the deadline for completion loomed and much work remained to be done.

"We had discussions to learn how to finish on time," Barlow said. "We said if we decided we can, we will, but if there's any doubt, it will unravel.

"Duane bred an infection to get it done."

The result

In July 1986, Forbes magazine did a story on The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

"Duane Hagadone has built himself a fancy resort hotel in the middle of nowhere. Why?" the writer asked.

Hagadone scoffs at the notion the project was a risk.

"There were definitely those that thought it was a huge risk," he said. "I didn't think it was a risk at all, but it far exceeded my expectations."

It didn't take long to prove them wrong.

"It was pretty immediate, pretty drastic," said Jonathan Coe, then in Sandpoint, where unemployment was 17 percent in 1984, and now president of the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce. "It put Coeur d'Alene on the map. It's getting Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho to a much larger market."

At the time The Resort was built, it was hard to find a job in the area, he said.

"In some ways it seemed preposterous that Duane could create this resort in this area."

Gary Norton had made a fortune in the electronics industry before selling out and buying a small airport in Athol a few years before Duane Hagadone decided to build a resort on the lake.

Norton was about ready to sell the Henley Aerodrome and move on until he saw what The Coeur d'Alene Resort meant to North Idaho.

"It inspired me to put the effort and money into Silverwood," he said.

Though he knew it was not a great business model, the theme park he opened was a fun hobby for about a decade before it began making money. But he followed the model he saw at The Coeur d'Alene.

"If you build real quality, people will come," he said. "He built for quality, and people came. Now, we sell thousands of hotel rooms a night."

Nancy DiGiammarco is Silverwood's marketing manager now, but was a recent Southern California transplant not involved with tourism when The Coeur d'Alene opened. She and her family were among the ones standing in the rain for a tour on Sunday, May 4, 1986.

"At the very end was the best surprise," she said. "Duane and Lola (Hagadone's wife) were shaking every person's hand. We were impressed that this gentleman who built this facility would do that.

"We look back at that event as what started tourism and put Coeur d'Alene on the map.

"The next year Gary opened Silverwood. The Coeur d'Alene Resort was a stroke of genius that did this region a huge favor. My ad does not say 'Athol.' It says 'Coeur d'Alene.'"

The next chapter

By the early 1990s The Coeur d'Alene Resort had been named the No. 1 Travel Product in the world by Conde Nast, a New York publication with a million readers. The golf course has consistently ranked in the top 20 among golf publications, sharing space on a list that includes Pebble Beach, among others.

But Duane Hagadone was not content to let his hotel and all its amenities rest on its laurels.

The course underwent a multimillion dollar improvement over the winter, and The Resort's new rooms have been remodeled. Renovations to the lobby began this week, and that and the new 30,000-square-foot spa are expected to be completed on schedule in early June.

Complete modernization and reconfiguration of the 25,000-square-foot Conference Center will also be done by June.

The Hagadone Suite is being transformed into an ultra-exclusive private bungalow, complete with personal butler.

"It's spectacular," Jaeger said. "It's safe to say The Resort will be better than it was 20 years ago."

[Boiseguy]

Coeur d'Alene is so pretty... that lake and priest lake.. are national treasures as far as I'm concerned...
Love to see that the developements are upscale...
As the area grows.. CdA just might need an airport expansion like you say..
flying into spokane is kind of out of the way for u all... seeing as how the airport is on the west side of town
they should have put an airport between the two cities and had a large metro airport...

[jimthemanincda]

Here are some highlights from a Spokane Journal of Business article about 2 large Post Falls proposed projects. Here's the link if you want the full article:
http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokan...ticle&sub=3172

Big projects said eyed at Post Falls
Two development groups could combine efforts; both mull land south of Cabela’s

By Rocky Wilson

Post Falls city officials have been contacted separately over the past six months by two development groups that claim they’re interested in constructing large, destination-type venues either in the North Idaho city or across the border in Spokane County.

Though the development groups haven’t met formally yet, they’ve learned of one another’s proposals and are discussing the possibility of merging their efforts into one project as well as doing a joint venture directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, in New Jersey.

Stacy Akana, owner of Xarbin Industries LLC, of Post Falls, and the head of one of the two groups, has been talking with Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin and city administrator Eric Keck for six months regarding a plan to build an indoor velodrome, which is a sporting arena built specifically for track cycling and speed skating. Akana claims the facility would seat 50,000 spectators and could be expanded.

Jim Adkins, president and CEO of the other development group, Messengers of Peace Development Corp., of Cherry Hill, N.J., says that group wants to build a large, three-dome education and technology complex.

Both projects would include many more buildings in a mixed-use format, and either likely would cost many millions of dollars, but Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin prescribes caution.

Eric Keck, city administrator for Post Falls, says, “These projects together would put Post Falls on the global map.”

The two development groups say the projects would include many additional buildings, including hotels.

The property they are eyeing in Post Falls includes about 150 acres of land just south of Interstate 90 near the Spokane River, south of a 125,000-square-foot sporting-goods store that Sydney, Neb.-based Cabela’s Inc. currently is building. The three land owners there are Hanson Industries Inc., of Spokane Valley; Green Group Inc., of Tuscaloosa, Ala, which owns the Greyhound Park & Event Center there; and Jacklin Seed by Simplot Inc., a subsidiary of Boise, Idaho-based Simplot Corp.

Both development groups say they’ve looked at other potential sites in North Idaho and Washington, but Post Falls is their No. 1 choice.

[jimthemanincda]

Plans to expand Kootenai Medical Center's campus in Post Falls include construction of 5 additional buildings, including a 3-story parking garage, a 2-story cancer-care clinic, a patient exam building, a second medical office building, and possibly a second parking garage (4-story). For now, KMC doesn't have a specific date by when it hopes to complete the master plan for its Post Falls property. Since there's still a lot to do on the plan, KMC also doesn't have a cost estimate or a time line for projects that might be included in the plan.

http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokan...ticle&sub=3203

[LV at IBR]

jimtheman and everyone else on this thread,

I just posted a request on the Boise and Idaho Falls threads to help identify some cool hotel projects for a project I'm doing for an upcoming issue of the IBR. I wanted to ask for your help, too. Saw you had some hotel projects on here that look interesting. Are any of them going to be a new tallest for CDA? Any other factors that make them unique? There's so many hotels under construction or planned in the Treasure Valley that they all kind of run together, so it'd be nice to feature some from around the state that really stand out.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[jimthemanincda]

I assume you want information on newly constructed/planned hotels, not hotels that have been built already, so here's what I know [Most of the bigger projects in town residential, commercial, or mixed-use]:

*In the Riverstone Development (Cd'A), there will be two hotels:
1. Hampton Inn and Suites (currently under construction)-100 room, 6-story hotel
2. Marriott Residence Inn (planned)

*At The Pointe at Post Falls, there are two hotels planned. Nothing has been announced and construction would start in a year or two.

*Two years ago, Duane Hagadone, the owner of the Coeur d'Alene Resort proposed building a second tower across the street from the Resort Plaza Shops and connecting it via skywalk. There were some discussions with the city after he wanted to add a community garden. The hotel tower proposal was later withdrawn after Hagadone didn't get the concessions that he wanted, but the 2nd Resort tower will be built in the future (may take 5-10 more years, though).

*Silverwood Theme Park (20 miles north of Cd'A), the largest theme park in the Northwest (draws over 500,000 visitors a year) is planning on building a hotel in the future.

*Holiday Inn Express in Hayden (opened a few years ago, but it is a nice little attraction)-connected to Triple Play Family Fun Center, which has bowling, go-karts, laser tag, bumper boats, 2 minature golf courses, and an indoor waterpark which features over 25,000 sq. ft. with a tropical themed wave pool, jacuzzi, a children's lagoon, 2-story play structure with tipping bucket and a 60ft. tower with multiple tube and body slides.

I'll be taking some pictures in town this weekend. You're welcome to use them if you'd like. If you want to know about existing hotels, I'd be glad to provide you with some more information.

[jimthemanincda]

To be honest, if you're doing an article on unique projects, I can't think of anything in particular that I would mention. I love all the new hotels being constructed, but none of them are very unique. The tallest one is only 6 stories. It would be nice if you could list them all, but I know your space and time is limited, so I really don't know if there is one in particular that I would say is truly "unique." The planned hotel at Silverwood and the 2nd Resort tower would be my nominations, but they are at least a few years down the road.

By the way, all of us in North Idaho appreciate your interest. Thanks for not just reporting on Boise news, but news throughout the entire state. Your paper does live up to its name IDAHO Business Review. It's nice to have both the Spokane Journal of Business and the IBR covering the area's businesses.

[LV at IBR]

One I was really hoping to highlight in Idaho Falls didn't pan out either, since it got downsized, but one of the guys there suggested an already-built themed hotel in Idaho Falls I could feature. There's one here in Boise, too. Anything like that up in the Coeur d'Alene area?

[jimthemanincda]

Originally Posted by LV at IBR

One I was really hoping to highlight in Idaho Falls didn't pan out either, since it got downsized, but one of the guys there suggested an already-built themed hotel in Idaho Falls I could feature. There's one here in Boise, too. Anything like that up in the Coeur d'Alene area?

I'm busy this weekend, but give me a day or two and I'll see if I can think of any themed hotels.

[jimthemanincda]

Well, it looks like 2 streetcar-looking busses were purchased by the owner of Riverstone and the busses might be running as early as next month...

(See my previous post on the subject for the probable route for the busses)



Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 - 07:00:07 pm PDT
By RICK THOMAS

RICK THOMAS/Press
Two former Spokane Transit busses bought by Riverstone developer John Stone who plans to put them into service downtown.

The colorful look of another time will roll into the downtown/Riverstone corridor as early as this summer, providing easy transportation between the two districts, and possibly more.

Riverstone developer John Stone purchased a pair of former Spokane Transit busses with the look of early 20th-century streetcars, and plans to put them into service as shuttles to connect his live-work-play community with the popular downtown area.

Jerry Goggin, owner of Brix and The Beacon and a pilot for Stone, helped facilitate the purchase of the 1994 diesel-powered 32-seat shuttles, and if he has his way before summer is over some service will be available.

"The route will eventually go from the Kroc Center to the library, through Riverstone to downtown," he said.

The education corridor and other parts of town could also be included later.

The busses have only about 120,000 miles on them, relatively low for diesel vehicles, he said, and will need only a little refurbishing for use in the short term.

"They look like San Francisco trolleys," Goggin said, and include wheelchair lifts, something Stone has insisted be part of the shuttle program.

Initially, at least one will join in the Fourth of July parade as an introduction, and if details can be ironed out service a few days of the week around weekends could begin, though it's just as likely it will be next year before they begin running.

One thing that's certain is that the look of the green busses will change over the winter as they get complete detailing and a paint scheme reflecting the Lake City.

Goggin, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association, said they're going to be looking for partnerships, possibly including public and private funding, to make the shuttles possible. Long-term, they'll be studying the feasibility of a light-rail system, but for now the "rubber-tire" shuttles are a cost-effective and flexible way to begin service.

Terry Cooper, manager of the Downtown Association, said the concept is sound, considering the number of people expected to live in Riverstone and in the downtown area as a large number of condominium units are completed.

"They expect 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 people living and working in Riverstone," he said. "Connecting to downtown is a big part of that."

Shuttle service of some kind has been Stone's vision since Riverstone began, and in recent weeks he's discussed the idea regularly - often while visiting one of his favorite downtown establishments. He's never seen the two districts as competitive, but rather as complementary. Goggin said Stone jumped at the chance to purchase the busses when they came available from a third party at a good price.

A variety of issues need to be addressed, including routes and stops, before service, probably free, can begin.

"If I have my way, they'll stop in front of The Beacon," Goggin said.

Already, with the opening of Bardenay in Riverstone, patrons often seen downtown are also visiting the Riverstone restaurant and bar, and as more shops open there, the ability to shuttle back and forth is seen as a boost to both areas.

"We're unique, they're unique," Goggin said.

He said because the loop is short, only about six miles between the Kroc Center and the library, the busses could run about every half hour, making the schedule convenient for people going to events and businesses in the area.

Dave Tomson, development manager for Riverstone, said showing the busses in the Fourth of July parade will build energy for the trolleys. They've worked well in other cities with "lifestyle" areas such as Riverstone, he said.

"They're an ideal fit for Coeur d'Alene," he said. "They'll be a definite benefit for the downtown area and The Resort."

He's less optimistic about having them running this year, as issues of funding and other logistics are just being examined.

"We need to put a plan together," he said. Cooper said Goggin will present more information on the idea to the Downtown Association board this week, but it's likely to be well received.

"I'm a bit surprised it's gone so quickly," he said.

They will be depending on others to figure out the details, though. "We don't know much about transportation systems,"

Cooper said. "I know everybody will have an interest."

He agrees it's likely it will be next summer before service begins, as more stores open in Riverstone and people move in there and downtown.

"They'll be looking to go both places," he said.

[Cottonwood]

The Riverstone project looks really nice and fitting for a grand city like CD'A.

[jimthemanincda]

The Ironman Cd'A Triathalon was last Sunday. I was downtown sitting in an office building behind the grandstands by the finish line and snapped a few pictures...

For those not familiar with the race, it is one of 6 qualifiers (the other places being Arizona; Lake Placid, NY; Louisville; Wisconsin; and Florida) for the Ironman championship race in Kona, Hawaii, which is held every December. The atheletes are truly "Iron Men." They swim for 2.4 miles, then bike for 112miles, then finish the race by running a marathon (26.2 miles). The fastest male this year finished the race in a little over 8 hours 30 minutes.

In all, there were over 2,000 triathletes and over 30,000 spectators in downtown Cd'A. This was the fifth year the race was held in Cd'A and the city just signed a contract extension with the Ironman group so it can host the race for at least another 5 years.

[jimthemanincda]

I promised a photo city tour a while ago, and I'm almost done taking the pictures and choosing which ones to post. But I'm not quite finished yet, and I'm going with some friends to Salmon, ID this weekend, so it'll be a couple of days until I can post all of the pictures so for now, I'll leave everyone with a few teaser photos...

***Edit-I was only going to post a few photos, then I got on a kick and decided to post most of them. Sorry if they take up a lot of the thread, I just though they should be posted.

The growing skyline of Cd'A (5 buildings over 9 stories, including the 2nd and 3rd tallest buildings in the state---for now...):






The Riverstone development is rising as well:




Parkside (they are starting on the 8th floor this week---12 more to go!):


McEuen Terrace:


609 Sherman (with McEuen and Parkside in the background):


Cd'A North Condos:


Lake Tower Apartments:


The Spokesman-Review (newspaper) building:


Northwest Place:


Kootenai Medical Center's newly expanded parking garage:


Riverview Tower:



Hampton Inn at Riverstone:


Condos being built in Riverstone, across from the movie theater (with the new Riverstone parking deck in the background):


More Riverstone condos:



Again, more condos at Riverstone (and Riverview Tower across the street):


Riverstone construction, with the new pond in the foreground:



The Terraces:



A great day on the lake:





Tubbs Hill (next to the Cd'A Resort downtown):



That's all folks...for now

[CodyY]

I have a ton of pictures I need to put up! thanks for the tour...so how tall is the NW place bldg? Isn't it like a skyscraper? Itll look kinda odd all by itself next to the NW Blvd-US95 interchange, imo.