Four Corners, many ideas

COEUR d'ALENE - Welch Comer engineers detailed new ideas and concepts for the "Four Corners" master planning process Friday morning at Coeur d'Alene City Hall.

Dell Hatch and Phil Boyd, of Welch Comer Engineers, briefed the steering committee with a list of ideas they have gathered after meeting with several stakeholders who will eventually be affected by the project.

The master plan is part of a federal process the city is going through in order to lease and eventually acquire a two-mile piece of old railroad right of way owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

The BLM parcel starts at Memorial Field and goes all the way into Riverstone, ending just before the Hampton Inn.

In order to lease 29 acres of railbed, the city must provide BLM with a master plan for the area.

The first leg of the new plan will start at Independence Point and stretch to Riverstone. The second leg of the plan will go from Riverstone to Huetter Avenue along another railroad right of way the city and the Lake City Development Corp. are in the process of purchasing.

On Friday, Hatch and Boyd detailed 10 preliminary concepts which came up during their stakeholder discussions for the first leg of the project.

"We had to start somewhere," Boyd said, while explaining some ideas for reconfiguring the Independence Point parking area.

Boyd said they have discussed everything from converting the entire parking area into green space to the current concept of expanding the green space but keeping a loop for unloading buses and cars with limited handicapped parking spaces and even some senior citizen parking spaces.

Boyd and Hatch also met with Museum of North Idaho, and Human Rights Education Institute representatives to discuss moving those facilities next to Memorial Field. The engineers said parking could then be expanded in the current location of the museum.

"The current museum building is too small for what they want to do," Hatch said, adding it is currently storing some of its stuff off-site in a 4,000-square-foot warehouse.

Boyd said later in the meeting that they are assessing whether the current HREI Building can be saved, and they are also studying the feasibility of restoring the grandstands at Memorial Field.

Another concept is to abandon Mullan Avenue from Northwest Boulevard to Park Street and connect City Park to the Memorial Field property. That concept would also extend Garden Avenue across Northwest to Park.

Re-orienting Memorial Field is also a concept that is being explored. The city wants to reconfigure the softball diamond to face farther west and overlap the field with an additional soccer field. The city also wants to add artificial turf.

A parking facility is also being considered on that corner, which would be jointly owned by the city and the county.

The refurbished Playland Pier Carousel is being considered for that corner between Memorial Field and Northwest Boulevard.

"They said they would prefer to be closer to the water, but felt the four corners area would work," Hatch said.

The skate park is likely to move farther west at the corner of River Avenue and Northwest Boulevard.

"That will be a more linear design that can be used by skaters and bicycles," Hatch said, explaining that restrooms, a small park and playground could be added to the south end of the skate park to make it a more family-oriented plaza. Parking would also be added.

A concept for a small triangular piece of property owned by LCDC on the corner of Park Street and River Avenue has yet to be developed. The Fort Grounds Homeowners Association would prefer green space, but Boyd said LCDC would probably prefer something that generates tax revenue.

Hatch said they propose keeping the BLM property between River Avenue and Hubbard Avenue in reserve for future city and higher education uses.

The concept for the stretch of land south of the Highway 95 bridge to University of Idaho's Harbor Center Building will be considered for waterfront access to the boardwalk and public boat mooring.

An environmental stewardship park may also be a good use for the area because there are wastewater outflows to the river nearby and they can be used for demonstration projects.

Hatch said one of the things the city must consider is how to maintain all of the new open space, and suggested that site could be used for a city-owned RV park.

During a discussion after the meeting, Councilman Dan Gookin said he could not support the city competing with private RV parks.

During that discussion, Boyd explained that any money that is generated on the BLM property must be used to maintain that property. It could not be run for profit.

"It's just an idea," Boyd said.

Another multi-use park will be considered west of the Highway 95 bridge to the Bellerive housing development. That park could include a number of elements including a waterfront dog park, soccer fields and waterfront access.

At the end of the presentation, Boyd asked the committee for guidance on which projects to begin. He said he wants to refine the projects which make sense to pursue, and minimize time wasted on projects which may not come to fruition.

Mayor Steve Widmyer said he would prefer they work on plans for Independence Point, the museum, combining Memorial Field with City Park and the reconfiguration of Memorial Field.

Many others commented on details of other projects which could be added.

Hatch and Boyd will take that information and refine their concepts for a public workshop slated for next month. The steering committee will meet again in two or three weeks, he added.

"There are, obviously, more to follow and these will receive more refinement," Boyd said after the meeting. "But we need to start with some of the more substantial concepts because they may impact other proposed improvements or changes."