Annex battleground

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

POST FALLS — In one of Post Falls' most contentious annexation requests in recent years, the City Council on Monday night approved a less-dense zoning than the owners requested for 21 acres west of the intersection of Chase and Grange.

The council voted 4-1 to approve the single-family residential annex request of Douglas Boseth, Alston Durant and Dale Zook with a suburban zoning of one home per acre.

The property owners requested a zoning that would allow up to five homes per acre. They can appeal the decision or withdraw their annexation application.

Council member Lynn Borders said he supported the lower-density zoning because the bulk of the neighboring properties is that way.

"All the way around it, with the exception to the south, is (lower-density housing)," he said.

Council members Joe Malloy, Kerri Thoreson and Linda Wilhelm joined Borders in supporting the lower-density zoning. Council member Betty Ann Henderson was not present. Alan Wolfe was the lone member who voted for the higher-density zoning.

Wolfe said he put a lot of weight into Assistant City Engineer Rob Palus’ opinion that the capacity of Grange could easily handle the traffic generated by the higher-density zoning.

Engineer Steve Syrcle, who represents the property owners, said the higher-density zoning is a good fit because some of the adjoining properties are zoned that way.

"We are not developers who are greedy," Syrcle said.

Most of the 11 residents who spoke against the request, including several who live in the Meadows subdivision next to the property, said they understood the property would be annexed.

However, they believed the higher-density zoning would cause traffic issues, especially with multiple subdivisions recently approved in that area.

"We're not against annexation," Dennis Quinn said. "Growth is inevitable and necessary. But up to five homes per acre is completely out of sync with the area."

Resident Lisa Ann Summers presented photos showing the developers had already tapped into a neighboring subdivision's infrastructure as if they figured the council would approve the annex request.

"Is this the proverbial cart before the horse?" she said.

The developers' move didn't sit well with Wilhelm.

"That really bugs me — and I could use stronger language," she said during the meeting attended by about 40 people. "I do not like that at all. It's a bad way to do business."

Syrcle said the property owners began putting in utilities on their own risk and with the approval of city staff to do so.

The property owners can build two or three homes per acre with the suburban residential zoning, but they would have do get approval to do so through the planned unit development process and grant 10 percent of the property to open space, City Planner Jon Manley said.