New life for Black Rock neighbor
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
An 899-acre golf course community on the west side of Lake Coeur d'Alene that stalled during the recession has new life with 411 total lots proposed.
The project north of Loffs Bay Road was originally approved in 2005 as Black Rock North under developer Marshall Chesrown before it went into foreclosure in 2009.
Now, Rock Creek of Idaho Holdings LLC, a Las Vegas-based subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial that acquired the site in 2012, is proposing changes to what was originally approved as The Club at Rock Creek.
"This is a good example of a project that was a product of the downturn when the economy tanked," said Rand Wichman, a land-use consultant who represents the limited liability corporation and general manager Kyle Capps.
"What was approved made sense in the pre-recession days, but that would be a more difficult sell now. This is a product of what's desirable now, that's responsive to the market."
Wichman said local subdivision proposals since the recession have mostly been smaller projects in the low- to moderate-price range. He expects larger projects with more expensive homes such as The Club at Rock Creek to be proposed in the coming year.
Wichman said a traffic study for the area around The Club at Rock Creek is being conducted. After that’s complete, the proposal will be sent to government agencies and other stakeholders for comment and ultimately a Kootenai County hearing examiner for a public hearing.
"We're hopeful that a public hearing on it will be held in early spring," Wichman said.
The 411 total lots include those for residential use, open space, utilities and non-residential purposes. The average home lot size will be six-tenths of an acre.
"These will still likely be second homes in most cases, but the owners don't believe the market for multi-million-dollar second homes is as strong as it used to be," Wichman said, adding that home prices are expected to be in the $500,000 to $1 million range.
Wichman said the adjustment to smaller lot sizes (the average size in the previous project was 2 acres), more open space and less cost for the homes will broaden the market to potential buyers.
The site was originally approved for 325 residential units with the intent of it being an extension of, and complementary to, Black Rock, another high-end golf course community. The Club at Rock Creek is just north of Black Rock, but a separate project with different owners.
"It is expected to take at least 20 years to complete full buildout of the residential component, and this could be composed of up to 20 phases," a project narrative states.
Roads within the development will be privately maintained by a homeowners' association.
The 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf in The Club at Rock Creek opened two years ago. Other amenities such as a dog park, hiking and bike trails, organic garden, swimming pool, and basketball and tennis courts were also completed.
Other proposed amenities include an archery range, equestrian facilities, vineyard and fitness facility.
"The Club at Rock Creek is planned to be a thriving, active, outdoor-oriented living community..." the narrative states.
Residential development in the project resumed in 2015 with 12 residential lots platted as The Club at Rock Creek and 10 more as The Club at Rock Creek, First Addition. Those recorded subdivisions are excluded from the current request before the county.