Post Falls Council to mull renewal district proposal

POST FALLS - The Post Falls City Council on Tuesday will consider a proposal by Idaho Veneer to create an urban renewal district on its property and an annexation request south of Prairie Avenue that would lead to new water district offices and a standpipe.

The council last month tabled the URD proposal, which also includes Kootenai County Fire and Rescue's station on Idaho Street, to further discuss the request with the Urban Renewal Agency.

"We have proposed the URD because we wish to make plans for the future of the property, of the community and of the Malloy family," Idaho Veneer co-owner Dan Malloy wrote to the council. "We also wish to explore the 'highest and best use' of the land as we have been advised to do for at least the past 25 years."

Idaho Veneer, a stable employer for 57 years, has downsized in recent years due to market conditions and could re-open its facility in Samuels if necessary. However, there are no immediate plans to shut down the Post Falls operation, Malloy said.

The council will consider declaring the site "deteriorated," the first step in creating a URD. The urban renewal agency has already made the declaration and is seeking council confirmation.

If created, the proposal would be Post Falls' seventh URD.

During a Sept. 9 workshop, city staff urged the agency to create a plan that benefits the entire community and isn't just a private plan that benefits the company.

In most URDs, a proponent or developer, in this case the Malloy family, will use its own funds to install public infrastructure. The incremental taxes that are paid based on the higher assessed values after development are remitted to the URA and are, in turn, paid back to the proponent for cost reimbursement for such infrastructure.

In other business, the council will consider a 24-acre annexation request south of Prairie and just west of Highway 41 from the Ross Point Water District and the Post Falls Highway District.

The water district plans to move its offices from Highway 41 to five acres at the site and eventually drill a well and build a standpipe to serve the immediate area.

The highway district's parcel is currently used as a source pit for gravel operations. The highway district does not plan to move its offices to the site.