Parking garage construction set to begin

COEUR d’ALENE — Work on a four-deck parking garage in downtown Coeur d’Alene will begin in time for the holidays.

Construction of the $7.3 million parking complex along Coeur d’Alene Avenue between Third and Fourth streets is scheduled to begin Dec. 15, although a glitch may delay the project.

Starting the work, which is scheduled to run through the bulk of next summer, requires that a telecommunications line be moved, said Tony Berns, executive director of ignite cda, the city’s urban renewal agency.

“A Frontier communications cable that runs in the alley is in the way,” Berns said. “We’re getting that dealt with.”

In a workshop this week, Berns provided the City Council with updates of ignite projects including a development at midtown for which proposals will be accepted until mid-January.

Developers usually wait until the final days to submit proposals, he said.

“I don’t expect to see anything until next year,” he said.

By then, the parking garage groundwork should be underway.

When it’s done, the elevated garage will have more than 360 parking spots, replacing a small 35-space lot that took up part of city and ignite-owned property north of the old, federal courthouse downtown.

The project was originally expected to cost around $6 million, but ignite accepted the only bid that came in under $8 million, Berns said.

Once the garage is built, it will be managed by the city.

So far, a timeline for the midtown project, meant to help enhance an already-growing part of the Coeur d’Alene business hub, is confined to target dates that don’t include construction.

The work will be on several lots on the 800 block of North Fourth Street including several bare, grass-covered parcels that make up about a half-acre.

The parcel, zoned for commercial and residential use, is surrounded by an eclectic mix of salons, taverns and eateries, antique and thrift stores, a tattoo shop and a nonprofit.

A project could include retail or office space with housing on the upper floors, Berns said.

“The zoning is open to a lot of potential uses,” he said. “We’ll see what we get for ideas.”

The proposals must be feasible and conform to zoning regulations and guidelines. Once a proposal is finalized and accepted, developers have two years to complete the work.

Proposals are due Jan. 12. The agency will review them by the end of February, settle on a proposal and negotiate terms the following month.

“We hope this project will continue the good vibrations up there,” Berns said.