Housing shift plan clears hurdle

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

POST FALLS — A developer's plans to shift housing units from single- to multi-family in a subdivision north of Prairie Avenue are moving ahead despite concerns from residents who live there.

The Post Falls Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-2 in favor of Lake City Engineering's request on behalf of Tom Anderl and MCD Properties to increase the number of multi-family units in Crown Pointe from 200 to 265 while still equating to the 650 total housing units as originally approved in 2010 in the 110-acre project.

"This amendment should have very minimal impact, if any, on the property as a whole, as the total unit count will remain the same," the applicant wrote in a narrative.

However, the request sparked concerns from several people who live in the vicinity.

Shane Solorza said he knew from the time he bought his home in Crown Pointe in February that his view over the prairie wouldn't last.

"I had accepted that I would at some point have neighbors across the street from me, but never thought it would be apartments," Solorza wrote in a letter to the commission.

"I do not speak negatively of those who live in apartments, as I once did. I believe they are a great option for young individuals just starting out or for those who simply do not want the maintenance of a home. However, in the two years I lived in apartments, I was met with many challenges."

Other residents expressed traffic-related concerns.

"I would not be happy to see traffic nightmares on a two-lane road (Prairie) due to overdevelopment," Hauser's Lisa Alger wrote, adding that she drives on Prairie regularly. "We don't want the nightmares of (western) Washington."

Kyle Kaschmitter, who lives in Crown Pointe, said traffic on Spokane Street already stacks up waiting to access Prairie. He said the roundabout intersection planned for Chase Road and Prairie is not the right answer because he believes signals work better for controlling traffic.

However, city staff believes the shift in housing types will not have an impact on the road network, stating that a multi-family development with the same number of units will generally produce similar or even fewer trips per day than single-family housing.

Planning commission members Nancy Hampe, Mark Latham, Ryan Davis and Vicki Jo Cary voted in support of the developer's request. Samuel Bishop and James Steffensen voted against the proposal. Ray Kimball was not present.