Atlas site: Shore up this key condition
The city of Coeur d’Alene is doing a marvelous job with the acquisition and planning of the Atlas Mill site on the Spokane River. This project had its beginnings back in 2013 when the city decided to purchase the railroad property that runs from Riverstone to Heutter Road. That purchase did more than buy a strip of land: It gave the city great influence over everything that can happen along that portion of the Spokane River.
In the fall of 2014, the City Council passed Resolution 14-049, which stated “… that all city staff and staff actions regarding the Spokane River Corridor should consider maximizing the public acquisition of riverfront property, protecting the riverfront and providing comprehensive planning for this corridor.”
When the opportunity to buy the Atlas Mill site came up last spring, the mayor and some council members believed it might be necessary to sell portions of the riverfront property to recoup some of the expenses of buying and developing the property. By summer, the mayor and council seemed on board with the concept that this was a “public project” with public value — not strictly a business deal — and they instructed ignite cda, the city’s urban renewal agency, to evaluate the possible purchase and development of the property, while keeping the entire shoreline public.
The city has held two public meetings about the future of this riverfront property. At the March 22 meeting we were briefed regarding some possibilities and trade-offs that must be considered when developing the property. At no time was developing or selling shoreline mentioned, and in fact it was stressed that providing public shoreline was the major goal of this project. We are pleased that the current mayor and council seem to have the political will to craft this project around a city-owned, public riverfront.
No one knows how long this project will go on — certainly years and possibly decades. During that time there will be new mayors and council members, new budgets, new voters and new priorities, and these changes may erode the political will to keep the shoreline public. Our council should act now to permanently protect their dream of a public shoreline by adopting deed restrictions and conditions of annexation that require the shoreline remain public. Future councils would then need to take extraordinary steps to sell the shoreline. Removing a deed restriction would probably require court action and changing an annexation agreement would require at least a public hearing.
Council members, we ask you to protect the public’s shoreline. Direct the city attorney to draft the necessary deed restrictions and annexation conditions, and then adopt them. You are doing a great job. Please protect our public shoreline for future generations.
You, the public, can also help. Contact your mayor and council members and ask them to take the necessary measures to keep the shoreline public. (This is local government and these people are your neighbors.) Go to the next council meeting and tell them to truly protect YOUR shoreline by appropriate legal means.
Finally, go to the next public meeting on April 25 from 5-7 p.m. in the library. Please act fast, as these documents are being drafted now.
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Chet Gaede is a member of Friends of the Spokane River Corridor.