Council united on river corridor

COEUR d'ALENE - Two resolutions were unanimously passed by the Coeur d'Alene City Council Tuesday night regarding the future development of the Spokane River Corridor.

One of the resolutions solidifies the city's position in favor of the corridor, which runs from Riverstone to Huetter Road, being further developed into a community centered around the Spokane River. The other allows the city to move forward with buying 20 acres of land owned by BNSF Railway Company for $2.5 million.

Under the agreement, the city will pay $1,016,273 for the land not in the two Lake City Development Corp. districts. LCDC will pay $1,483,727 for the railroad property that lies in its two districts, and the purchase is expected to be completed no later than Jan. 21, 2015.

Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Mike Gridley presented the resolution to the council and told The Press that the purchase of the BNSF land is critical to the future development of the Spokane River Corridor.

"The rail line has been an impediment to the development of that part of the city and has created a kind of 'no-man's land' situation," Gridley said. "It's become underutilized and a haven for folks who are up to no good."

He added that the land was appraised at $4.3 million and the city was able to negotiate with BNSF to lower its asking price to $2.5 million.

Prior to the real estate purchase being approved, Councilman Dan Gookin read the other resolution regarding the corridor and said it was an excellent statement from the city. The resolution states that all future actions taken by city employees with regards to the corridor should be made considering "maximizing the public acquisition of riverfront property, protecting the riverfront and providing comprehensive planning."

Council members were asked to prepare the resolution during an Oct. 28 meeting with the Spokane River Corridor Advisory Committee, which was created to provide recommendations to the city on the area.

Chet Gaede, a member of the committee, told The Press that while past city councils and other groups affiliated with the government have created documents supporting the area, the current council hadn't.

"This resolution says that this council is going to stick to its guns on the development of the property and make sure that public river access is an important part of it," Gaede said.

He added that the resolution is the first step in the process and the committee would like to see the city create zoning ordinances specifically for the corridor. Those ordinances, he said, would add "the force of law" to plans to develop the area as a river-centric community with public access to the water.

At the same October meeting, Gaede said the city council disbanded the Spokane River Corridor Advisory Committee and that it will now serve as a citizens group without any official attachment to the city.