GROWTH: Smaller can be better

I want to express my strong objection to the proposed 14-story building at the corner of First and Lakeside. A building of this magnitude is wrong on many levels. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the fact that it will block the views of many people in Coeur d’Alene North (some views will be totally obliterated) and Lake Tower Apartments. As a Lake Tower resident my view will be about 50 percent destroyed.

Aside from this argument, I feel the entire atmosphere of downtown will be negatively affected for all Coeur d’Alene residents and visitors. It will set a precedent for future high-rise development and change the character of our beautiful downtown forever. If one looks at cities like Lake Tahoe, Carmel, and yes, Aspen, these are all cities who have severely restricted or disallowed this type of building, and property values in these resort cities remain very high precisely because these growth restrictions maintain their exclusive nature. Imagine what Coeur d’Alene will look like 10, 20, 30 years from now if this proliferation is allowed to continue.

Growth and progress are inevitable, but with more intelligent planning our downtown area could retain the “small town Main Street” atmosphere that is so attractive to residents and visitors.

SUSAN BLASER

Coeur d’Alene