River's Edge Apartments denied

The Coeur d’Alene City Council Tuesday evening struck down a proposed 680-unit waterfront apartment development that would have provided public access to a 1,600-foot stretch of the Spokane River.

In a unanimous decision, the council denied a zone change for River’s Edge Apartments LLC, effectively killing the entire project.

“It makes no sense,” developer Lanzce Douglass said after the vote that abruptly ended the council meeting before public testimony could be heard on a proposed planned unit development (PUD).

The PUD included construction of 21 structures ranging from 55 to 63 feet in height on 25 acres west of Riverstone.

As part of the failed PUD, the city would have acquired a 40-foot permanent easement along the river for a 16-foot wide public trail, green space and waterfront access to the water.

Following the denial, Douglass said he will regroup and “probably do what traditionally has been done on the water, which is single-family development … so it becomes an exclusive neighborhood for the wealthy.”

Under existing zoning, the developer said he could create 28 single-family lots on the waterfront land, which, he says, have an estimated value of about $630,000 per lot based on similar riverfront property in Riverstone’s Bellerive subdivision.

While calling it a strong proposal, the council voiced concern over the proposed C-17 commercial zoning on a 7.8-acre riverfront tract, which is currently zoned for residential uses.

Although the developer’s intent was not for commercial purposes, Councilman Dan Gookin called the commercial zoning “Wonka’s golden ticket for developers. They can put almost anything in there.”

Douglass said he believes his River’s Edge proposal took into account what the public has called for in workshops and the city has emphasized in its long-ranging planning: A desire for more public access to the water.

Ed Lawson, an attorney representing Douglass, said that is what River’s Edge was all about.

“This truly was a project where we tried to identify what public policy is — access to the water,” Lawson said.

Nearly 100 people attended the River’s Edge hearing and virtually everybody who filled out sign-up sheets opposed the project. The high residential density of the project and traffic congestion were the main concerns.

Few addressed the council as the project was nixed at the zone change stage before comment was to be accepted on the planned unit development.

Mayor Steve Widmyer acknowledged the strong public showing at the public hearing.

“The public process worked,” he said.