Historic dilemma

COEUR d'ALENE - A property owner's plan to tear down a historic waterfront home and build condominiums in Coeur d'Alene's Fort Grounds neighborhood has led members of the local homeowners association to seek more rigid redevelopment rules for the area.

The property owner, local real estate agent Rick Gunther, confirmed for The Press that the existing home he owns at 701 W. Lakeshore Drive will be replaced with two Craftsman-style buildings that will each house two dwelling units.

"It will fit with the neighborhood," Gunther said. The residence that will be demolished to make way for the new construction was built in 1914 and was once owned by Burl Hagadone. Other property owners in the neighborhood bounded by the North Idaho College campus, Lake Coeur d'Alene and City Park, are concerned Gunther's project could spark other similar projects, forever changing the character of the neighborhood.

"An overwhelming majority of the members of the homeowners' association are concerned, and want to preserve the Fort Grounds as a historic, single-family residential neighborhood," said Ann Melbourn, president of the association.

The neighborhood's zoning is now R-8, which allows a maximum of eight dwelling units per acre. Gunther's project fits within the existing zoning regulation.

After Gunther presented his plan to the homeowners association last summer, some members began a petition drive to seek a special use permit overlay that will require anyone within the overlay area to secure a variance prior to building anything other than a single-family residence. It would not downgrade the zoning.

They have enough signatures for the special use permit, but as Dan Gookin, a City Council member who is also a Fort Grounds property owner told The Press, "The city has the bar really high on this petition."

The group needs 66 percent of the total number of property owners' signatures, which is 62. They have 89 signers.

City code also requires them to have signatures from the owners of 75 percent of the neighborhood's total acreage. Since most of the lots are very small, that's where the petition is failing.

"We are about three properties short of getting this special use permit," Gookin said, adding that he would recuse himself if this matter goes before the City Council.

He noted that the city's 2007 comprehensive plan refers to the Fort Grounds as a historic neighborhood. The document includes it among the city's "special areas" that require "unique planning," and states that the city's policy is to preserve the Fort Grounds as a historic area.

"We don't want to see more traffic, or see builders or speculators come in and buy whole blocks of these old homes so they can do this," Gookin said, adding that he chose to buy a home in the Fort Grounds because of its unique character.

Gunther said he's not concerned about changing the nature of the neighborhood. He has one of the largest lots in the Fort Grounds, where most properties are 50- to- 80-feet wide. The width of Gunther's lot is 178 feet.

"I've been in this neighborhood for almost 32 years. This is my third home in the Fort Grounds. This neighborhood has been going through transition for years," Gunther said, noting that there are mother-in-law apartments over garages and other types of new development that have increased the population density.

He said his nearby neighbors are all OK with his building change.

"I'm a very strong advocate of private property rights, and I think anybody should be able to do whatever they want with their property as long as it conforms to what the city allows," Gunther said, adding that he has been trying to sell the home as is for about five years. "Quite frankly, no one wants an almost 7,000-square-foot home of that age."

The four units in the two new buildings are listed at $998,000 each, and they are all taken, Gunther said. He will keep one, another two will be owned by local residents, and the fourth was purchased by someone who lives out of state.

"We don't want to have to leave the neighborhood," he said. "It's not going to affect or harm values for anybody here. It will be a complement for the neighborhood."

Patrick Flynn, who owns a nearby home, said he signed the petition, but he still is not sure where he stands on the issue.

"I can see both sides..." he said. "And I am really conflicted."

On one hand, he said there are many properties that have been redeveloped in the neighborhood, and in a lot of those cases it has been an improvement.

"There are still some properties around here that nobody would oppose if they were redeveloped," he said, adding the neighborhood has been in transition for years.

On the other hand, there have been some homes built that have been controversial and come nowhere close to protecting the historic nature of the neighborhood, he said.

"It would be nice to protect the character of the neighborhood, but it really is up to the property owners to do that," he said.

Staff writer Jeff Selle contributed to this report.