Post Falls land-use proposals win some, lose some

POST FALLS — Land-use proposals continue to keep Post Falls planners hopping this summer.

Some are sparking debate.

The larger requests include:

- the 40-acre Green Meadows annexation request south of Prairie Avenue between Greensferry and Cecil roads for residential and commercial zoning that will be considered by the City Council on July 16;

- the 20-acre annexation request from Pat Acuff north of Prairie between Greensferry and Cecil for high-density, multi-family housing that was denied by the City Council last week;

- a special-use permit request that was approved by the Planning Commission for a 132-unit multi-family project south of Seltice Way north of Jacklin Road and east of Beck Road; and

- the 11-acre Landmark Place annexation request east of McGuire just south of Interstate 90 for a single-family project that will be considered by the Planning Commission on July 9.

With the Acuff request, the majority of the City Council members believed a high-density, multi-family housing project would be a good fit next to the future technology park in the Highway 41 corridor, but it's premature because work hasn't started on the park or a nearby planned city park.

"What I don't want to see is the property to become an island," council member Alan Wolfe said. "It could be a long time before the rest (around the site) develops."

Council members Lynn Borders, Linda Wilhelm and Joe Malloy agreed with Wolfe to deny the request, while Steve Anthony and Kerri Thoreson were in support.

"I see no reason to wait," Thoreson said, adding that she believes growth in that area is inevitable.

Anthony said approving the annexation now would have helped the master planning process for the north side of the city.

Lacey Green, who lives on the Rathdrum Prairie and spoke in opposition, said she sees the growth on the prairie as "disheartening."

"There are a bunch of other possibilities for this land that's better as opposed to something that's detrimental to traffic," she said.

Acuff said construction wouldn't start right away, but he believed it would be prudent to seek the annexation now. He said the project could provide housing for some of the employees in the future adjacent tech park.