'7-lot dream' dashed Property owner pulls proposal

COEUR d'ALENE — A landowner and developer whose zone change request for farmland near Fighting Creek drew fire from neighbors has withdrawn the proposal after a hearing examiner recommended that it be denied.

Robert Grossglauser Jr. sought to change the zoning of three parcels totaling more than 80 acres along Frost, Rew and Elder roads in southern Kootenai County from agricultural to rural.

He told The Press after a contentious and packed public meeting before a hearing examiner on Jan. 17 that he planned to subdivide the site into six 10-acre parcels and one 20-acre parcel so six of his children could live on the 10-acre parcels. He said the intent was to keep the property on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation as rural as possible.

"I don't want anything smaller than 10 acres," he said of the lot sizes.

However, Grossglauser informed the county's Community Development Department on Thursday that he’s withdrawing his application. A second public hearing that would be held before the County Commission, which would make the final decision, will not be scheduled.

"I thought that once the truth was expressed in the public forum everything would work out," Grossglauser wrote in a letter to the county. "However, my attempt to help people see the truth unfortunately fell on deaf ears, especially with members of the public."

Some residents cited concerns of potential impacts to Lake Creek, conflict of interest because Grossglauser serves on the county's Planning and Zoning Commission, and the project’s possible impact on rural lifestyles in that area.

However, Grossglauser said there was no conflict of interest and he wasn't planning a major subdivision.

He said he bought the property in 2015 and was not on the planning board at the time. He said he also contacted regulatory agencies before purchasing the site to ensure it would be OK to subdivide into seven lots and fit with the county's comprehensive plan.

"All the responses were a go for my seven-lot dream," he wrote.

Grossglauser wrote that the conflict of interest claims were "offensive and an attack on my integrity."

"I cannot force people to see the truth," he wrote. "I am only able to try. With all this in mind, I can only conclude that if I want to live peaceably with my neighbors that I should seek other options to fulfill my dreams of having my family live around me … My commitment and my desire to be a good neighbor has never wavered."

County community development staff recommended approval of Grossglauser's request, but Hearing Examiner Joan Woodard recommended that county commissioners deny the proposal.

"The public's concerns regarding the potential impact to the availability of adequate well water, the importance of agricultural activity and the potential impact to Lake Creek and the watershed suggest that this zoning amendment is not in the best interest of the public and could have a significant impact on the property rights, value and character of the neighboring areas," Woodard wrote in her decision.

"It is priority watershed for Lake Creek and not in an area that the Tribe has designated for development."

The county's agricultural and rural zonings both permit single-family dwellings on 5-acre-minimum lots.

"The (request) does not appear to be reasonably necessary," Woodard wrote.