Commercial zoning approved for land near Cd'A Charter Academy

COEUR d’ALENE — A chunk of land along U.S. 95 zoned for warehouses can now be put to commercial and industrial uses after a zone change was approved by the City Council.

The 4 acres north of Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, previously zoned for light manufacturing, were changed to a commercial use zone after the city received no comments opposing the plan at last week’s public hearing.

The property has been zoned for light manufacturing since the city in 1983 annexed the property from Kootenai County as part of a larger 680-acre parcel between Appleway Avenue and Dalton Avenue, said city planner Mike Behary.

The zone change at 505 W. Kathleen Ave., requested by Confluent Development of Denver, and approved unanimously by the council, will make way for a variety of uses, veering from the warehousing or indoor manufacturing that was allowed under its previous designation, according to city code.

Confluent is a commercial developer whose clients include Starbucks, Walmart, Chipotle and Sprouts Farmers Market.

Permitted uses under the umbrella of commercial zoning include health and medical facilities, juvenile detention centers, automotive repair shops, banks, kennels, churches and department stores. It also allows for residential development of not more than 17 units per acre.

Public safety is one of the objectives considered in a zone change. Council member Kiki Miller’s concern that a commercial use designation may not be in the best interest of a nearby school was assuaged by City Engineer Chris Bosley who said the zone change wasn’t expected to significantly affect traffic in the area.

Drew Dittman of Lake City Engineering, the engineer for Confluent, concurred.

“We’ve had lengthy conversations with (school) staff about traffic,” Dittman said. “They told me they are not opposed to the zone change.”

The school itself had to go through a commercial zone change seven years ago to be allowed to operate at its site, Dittman said. The future use of the property will determine how much traffic moves through the area, Dittman said, not the zone change itself. And any development there would have to be further approved by the city.

Confluent “has indicated it envisions some kind of retail use at this site,” according to a city report.