HOME: N. Idaho aka N. California

In the 1980s I was the HR director for Keytronic in Newport, Wash., representing the company at the Chamber of Commerce meetings. I kept hearing negative comments about Californians so I would say, “Yeah, you don’t want anymore until you want to sell your house and then you just want one more!” Oh, they hated that.

Well, the maddening pace of home building continues to increase here in our area. Just down the street at least 400 houses going up and 600 just a short distance away. And three blocks from here, huge apartment buildings going up right in the middle of miles of single family homes. How did they get that approved? 280-300 units in gigantic three-story buildings which will block the views of sunsets, sunrises and mountains for many folks in the surrounding homes.

I spoke with one of the workers who has lived here for 30 years who said, “I know, I hate to be building for outsiders who are going to change this whole area.” Meanwhile all this new housing continues to suppress the value of all of our existing homes. I even saw one outfit working Sundays!

So, soon we will have Southern California from Frisco down; Central California from Frisco to the Oregon border; and Northern California in the former North Idaho. The political landscape is already feeling the impact.

JIM KORVER

Post Falls