Post Falls eyes prairie

POST FALLS - Post Falls is going to bat to increase outdoor sports opportunities.

The City Council on Tuesday will consider a proposal to buy 61.2 acres west of Highway 41 between Prairie and Hayden avenues for a future multi-use sports complex.

The purchase price is $750,000. It will be paid for through park impact fees and not raise taxes. The city's park impact fee balance is $1.3 million, so the money is already available.

Post Falls has been in the market for property for sports fields for several years since the Quad Park softball complex closed and some former soccer fields are now the site of Kootenai Medical Center's new cancer center.

"The price is incredible and the land is outstanding," City Administrator Eric Keck said. "It would take little work for us to start using it (because it's flat and being used for farmland). This is an excellent opportunity for us to obtain parkland."

The current owner is Oregon-based developer Prairie Crossing West II, LLC. The land is adjacent to the city's 160-acre site it will use in the future to land apply treated wastewater.

The purchase proposal comes with a caveat, however.

The city will only be able to close on the property if the developer wins approval to annex its adjacent 100 acres. That annexation request is expected to come forth this spring.

"The city is essentially tying the property up until such time as the council can entertain an annexation request ..." Keck said. "At the time the annexation request is made, the city will likely endorse trying to bring in the land application property and the proposed park property to help better control the destiny and usage of this 160-acre parcel."

Keck said there are advantages to having the property for sportsfields in the city, including it wouldn't have to obtain special-use permits from the county for purposes such as lighting.

Keck said he doesn't believe the city is being forced to make a premature annexation with the purchase proposal, even though the developer was turned back on bringing in some sites previously.

He said the developer has worked with the city on designing quality projects and has been a part of the annual tree giveaway.

"I really think they're interested in helping the community," he said.

Neither Phil Wirth nor Richard Robinson, partners with Prairie Crossing West, could be reached for comment on Friday afternoon.

The city would make an earnest money deposit of $37,500 under the agreement.

The city believes, if managed correctly, that sports complexes can be a money maker and the local demand for fields is high. The complex would accommodate a variety of sports, including softball, soccer, football, lacrosse and basketball courts.

The start of construction depends on the fate of the developer's annexation request, but most likely would be next year, Keck said.