No signs of letting up
LOREN BENOIT/Press A new house goes up along Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. New houses continue to pop up around Kootenai County and sources say 2019 won’t let up.
Mark Carrington with Coeur d'Alene Building Supply unloads trestles for a new home along Glenroe Avenue in Post Falls on Friday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
The total number of single-family residential permits issued in Coeur d'Alene has been steady for the past six years.
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
When it comes to growth in Kootenai County this year, activity is only supposed to build upon what was a sizzling 2018.
Area cities and the county released their year-end 2018 building permit totals this week, and the numbers resemble some of those during the building boom before the recession.
Rathdrum, for example, issued a record 178 single-family residential permits, surpassing its previous high of 164 in 2017.
"That's pretty significant growth," said Mayor Vic Holmes of the 2018 figure, adding that Rathdrum's small-town feel and school system continue to attract residents.
Rathdrum's population is more than 9,000.
THE COUNTY
Kootenai County, which last year started offering builders and homeowners an option to opt-out of its building permit process, also had a record building year.
It issued 193 single-family location permits under the opt-out option and 326 single-family building permits for a total of 519 new homes that were planned.
"Add those up and we had a banner year," said David Callahan, the county's community development director. "The signs are that this year could be equal to last year."
Leslie Streeter, North Idaho Building Contractors Association executive officer, said several sources point to Kootenai County being one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.
"The place we live is so gorgeous," she said.
Rapid growth in all areas of the county has prompted agencies to update their comprehensive plans this year to guide future development.
THE RIVER CITY
Post Falls, which shares the Rathdrum Prairie with Rathdrum, issued 537 single-family permits last year. It was a steep increase from 354 in 2017 and rivaled the record of 596 in 2004.
Post Falls also experienced increased growth from 2017 to 2018 in the multi-family (11 to 20) and commercial (33 to 37) categories.
Post Falls' population is about 37,000.
"If you take into account the residents that live in county pockets within Post Falls and in close proximity to city limits, that number may be more than 50,000," said Jon Manley, the city's planning manager.
Projections cited by city planners suggest the population could rise to between 98,197 and 105,489 by 2040.
"The future identity of Post Falls will be prospectively shaped by a growing population base, continued demand for housing, economic development and our abundant community assets," a city memo on growth states. "It is likely that with continued growth Post Falls may see continued development pressure within the multi-family housing sector. Post Falls has many opportunities for infill development …"
The memo states that as greenfield development options decrease, the city will likely transition to more of an urban setting. "The more growth Post Falls realizes internally, the better chance greenfield areas located along the periphery of the city may be preserved," the memo states.
Post Falls' average annual growth rate from 1950 to 2010 was 5.12 percent, but planners believe that rate is unrealistic for the future due to diminishing land around the city's outer edge.
HAYDEN
Hayden's single-family growth is also on the rise with an increase in permits from 110 in 2017 to 141 in 2018. The city's recent building history topped out with 150 permits in 2016.
Melissa Cleveland, the city's community development director, said she expects more of the same growth this year.
"I don't have any reason to believe things will be any different from 2018," she said. "Our pre-development meetings two days a week are almost always booked. There are a lot of people we talk to every week about developing. The (tight) labor force is a challenge, but there is still a market for development."
Cleveland said two major housing projects are making their way through the approval process this year.
The 168-lot first addition of Carrington Meadows off Hayden Avenue and the 72-lot second addition of Hayden North north of Lancaster are under review.
Cleveland said there’s renewed interest in reviving the 211-acre, mixed-use Hayden Canyon proposal between Government Way and Strahorn on both sides of Lancaster, but it's unclear if a proposal will come forward in 2019.
Other building types in Hayden slowed last year compared to 2017. There were no multi-family permits issued in 2018 after permits for 16 buildings with 96 units were issued in 2017. There were 21 permits for new commercial buildings last year compared to 25 in 2017.
THE LAKE CITY
Coeur d'Alene, which is landlocked compared to other cities, had a drop in single-family permits issued last year to 244 from 273 in 2017. The record is 313 in 2007.
However, Coeur d'Alene saw an increase in multi-family permits (seven to 23) and commercial permits (31 to 35) over the previous year.
Darren Ducote, who represents Hayden Homes and is an associate broker for Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, said Hayden Homes built a record total of 1,600 homes in the region last year.
"We're anticipating another great year in 2019," he said. "This is a top retirement area. People want this quality of life. They often come here on vacation, drive through or have a family member move here. They then decide this is where they want to be. It's very clean, and there's low crime, four seasons and lots of activities."