DEVELOPMENT: Lots of noise, little notice

Today on a whim I took a vacation day from my 8 to 5 job. I’m standing in my kitchen have heard and seen five dump trucks full and empty pass in front of my house and it’s not even 9 a.m. Since the weather is cooler and the windows are open, the noise is overwhelming.

When my family moved in the neighborhood in 1989, all of our neighbors were either retired or young families with children. The noisiest thing then was the freeway. The corner of my peaceful street had traffic and multiple car accidents over the last 15-plus years but nothing out of the ordinary. This will all change when the new development is built.

I’ve spoken to some neighbors around Pennsylvania and 23rd Street and we’re in agreement that the construction is going to be done despite how we react. I do know that there is another way to access the property adjacent to Fernan Lake Villa Apartments that doesn’t disrupt the flow of traffic as it would in the planned residential neighborhood of Pennsylvania Avenue. The access road on the south side of the property would not disrupt the residents of the apartment complex either.

This development will not only increase traffic on my quiet peaceful street but also bring more environmental damage to the creek that runs through most of the properties that run along the side of the planned development.

I don’t believe that the Planning and Zoning Committee notified the appropriate amount of the community. The last attempt brought out a room overflowing with neighbors from Fernan, Cherry Hill and Elm Street, who also use 23rd and Pennsylvania as their commute. But this time only residents within 500 feet of the property were notified.

Lastly, I invite the individuals that are on the Planning and Zoning Committee to pay a visit to my neighborhood on their way to work some weekday morning. They are more than welcome to park in front of my house and watch and listen.

CARMELLA M. HANLON

Coeur d’Alene