Athol's Crossings can't grow for now
Athol City Council decided not to allow further building at the Crossings until the developer completes the appropriate infrastructure. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Development next to Super 1 in Hayden is on hold until the developer completes the appropriate infrastructure. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
ATHOL — In the packed basement meeting room of the Athol Community Center, the Athol City Council decided Tuesday night not to allow further building at the Crossings commercial development until the developer completes the appropriate infrastructure.
Developer HJ Grathol requested the city amend its contract and allow individual businesses to begin developing their lots prior to completion of the sewer system.
“If the request is approved the two contracts that are currently ready to go could begin in two weeks,” HJ Grathol Vice President Geoff Reeslund said. “We’ll have sewer ready for them in April and we’ll get them up and running sooner.”
According to the city’s order of decision approving the Crossing’s 22-lot commercial subdivision on 29.4 acres, businesses cannot begin construction until the developer has secured all the necessary infrastructure for the site. “It’s been a tremendous cost to us,” Reeslund said. “The well, the water system. We worked hard to get DEQ to approve the water system. I don’t think there should be any doubt that we’re committed to doing this.”
The Department of Environmental Quality approved a permit for the proposed sewer system after several drafts last year.
“This will be a brand new, recycled water system, treating the wastewater and then using it to irrigate the landscaping surrounding the development,” said Matt Plaisted, Engineering Manager for the Coeur d’Alene DEQ regional office.
“When the system is complete, Super 1 will be the first to tie-in,” Reeslund said. “The more people are tied into it, the sooner DEQ can approve it.”
“When you bring a new sewer system online, in order to operate the system you have to have effluent to treat to get it running, to know if everything is working properly,” contracted city planner Rand Wichman said.
In this case, the effluent produced by Super 1 should be sufficient to start operations of the new system, according to DEQ.
Wichman did not recommend the council approve HJ Grathol’s request.
“If I believed for one second that this system would be ready in April, I would say go ahead, let them build,” Wichman said. “When we allowed Super 1 to open on the water system, it took one and a half years to get the system running.”
The city decided to use the document that gives them control. If they had amended the agreement, it could have left them vulnerable to the headache of trying to enforce city codes, officials said.
“The city of Athol made it clear to me that their highest priority is that the infrastructure is completed and that the city doesn’t get hurt in the process,” Wichman said. “They are new to doing significant development. They wanted to make sure they were being very careful, dotting all their i’s and crossing their t’s. That’s what drives this decision. They want to make sure everything in the subdivision gets done and gets done properly.”
Athol doesn’t have some of the tools larger cities possess for regulating development. The city more muscle at the beginning of a development.
“We want to make sure Athol is protected,” Council member Josh Spencer said. “[The code] is a tool for the city of Athol to make smart, profitable decisions.”
Construction of the sewer system is contingent upon winter conditions and may delay its completion past April.
“This may all be moot if weather starts up,” Council member Shane McDaniel said.