Behold Atlas: Don't just shrug, people
The tale is told of a Coeur d’Alene man who, almost three decades ago, looked out over an old mill site and imagined a floating green out on the water.
That was Duane Hagadone who transformed the former Potlatch Mill mess into a world-class golf course and one-of-a-kind landmark. It’s possible Coeur d’Alene could take a similar step in the right direction now.
City officials have tentatively agreed to purchase 47 acres of the former Atlas Mill site between Seltice Way and the Spokane River, just west of Riverstone. The cost: $8 million.
Every indication points to this being a done deal. Unlike some brownfield areas, particularly former mills and other industrial sites, no expensive remediation is anticipated. While it will take a lot of work between now and the anticipated Oct. 25 purchase date, there appear to be no insurmountable hurdles for annexation and potential funding. And there’s no question the site has potential. Where else is the city going to come up with half a mile of new waterfront property?
What needs to happen is for citizens to weigh in on what they’d like the site to become. The city already has strongly suggested it will commit some of the property to private development. That’s where the questions start to fly:
- How much property should be committed to private development versus public use?
- Where precisely should that private property be? Some of it on waterfront? All of it? None of it?
- What would be appropriate structures and uses for the privately developed property? Residential? Commercial? Industrial?
One interesting aspect of the “rebirth” of the property, as some are calling it, is that 3.8 acres inside the Atlas land are already spoken for. The City Council recently approved an annexation agreement that includes a zoning permit for 130 residential apartment units on that hunk, so at least one footprint of development has already been created. But for this project to pencil out at all, a significant slice of the 47 acres the city intends to purchase is going to have to be turned over to private hands.
The property’s potential is phenomenal, both for public and private interests. Residents throughout the area have long clamored for greater access to water, and the Atlas site can give them that. Converting some of the land to property tax generation will help the entire city. And anytime a government entity can take an eyesore and beautify it, they’re giving citizens a gift.
Sound off on what you’d like to see happen with the Atlas Mill site. Write a letter to the editor or reach out to the city to be heard. Email your comments to: atlasmill@cdaid.org