EYESORE: Needs to be changed

We just spoke with the folks from Diamond Parking who have been managing the "eyesore" since February 2011. They said they plan to fill in the hole, level the lot, remove the fence and put in parking meters BUT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAVE OVER THE DIRT PER THE CITY. Seems they could at least pave the dirt with pea gravel. Building codes seem to require that any NEW parking lot must be inside a "structure" along Sherman Avenue. So the eyesore will not only continue indefinitely, but the surrounding properties will have to contend with the ongoing silt, dust and weeds... This is not an improvement, it is still an eyesore and a disgrace to Coeur d'Alene. What are the City Council members, the Building Department staff and the Urban Renewal District's LCDC going to do about this? How can they be unaware of these vacant lots? Why have they not done anything about it for the last six or more years. How can weed infested, ungraded dirt lots be conducive to a vibrant, progressive and successful tourist destination area.

There are several lots in downtown, still dirt and weeds, left vacant for the last six years (yes, SIX YEARS). The land at Ninth and Sherman, the abandoned mostly demolished house up on Seventh Street and the huge land area behind the Roosevelt Inn Bed & Breakfast come immediately to mind don't they? Wow, think of the investors, developers and visitors we have attracted!

This is a case of "there ought to be a law!" A simple law that states a landowner cannot leave his property like this for more than 45 days. He should be required to level it, install sprinklers and seed it with grass and be required to maintain it up to the day new construction begins. If the landowner doesn't perform, the city should do this and place a lien for the expenses on that landowner's property taxes. This should be the absolute minimum any responsible landowner should do.

We commend and roundly applaud the three owners of the vacant lots at First and Sherman, Eighth and Lakeside and Sixth and Sherman who have already taken those steps. They have demonstrated not only excellent citizenship but a higher morale code of conduct.

ART and SHELLEY WILLIAMS

Coeur d'Alene