More growth in Post Falls

City administration looks at possible 665-acre annexation

In an effort to control the city’s rapid growth, Post Falls administrators presented the proposed annexation of more than 665 acres of land in the West Pleasant View area to the City Council Tuesday evening.

While Post Falls currently has the ability to expand in all directions, that is subject to change as neighbors Rathdrum and Coeur d’Alene grow. As the three cities develop, surrounding areas will become more limited based on utility availability and configuration of large holdings.

Post Falls City Administrator Shelly Enderud said in the last year they’ve probably seen a dozen 5-acre plots sold for development.

“It’s slowly starting to happen but it’s going to take time,” she said.

There are already limited industrial-style developments in the West Pleasant View area with designated business and commercial land to the east. Enderud said the company that has expressed interest in the 665 acres has discussed constructing an office building, a commercial store and a rail reload facility.

“The city has been approached by three of the owners of the properties. The requests go back over 10 years, so this consideration is not a new concept,” Enderud said. “Currently, the state of Idaho has a project that is looking at locating a business on a 67-acre parcel along this corridor.”

In conjunction with Post Falls’ Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan, business and commercial land allow for retail, professional office, light industrial, and artisan manufacturing developments.

According to the workshop presentation, growth in the West Pleasant View area would aid the natural growth of the city by providing an outlet for sustainable development and aquifer protection. However, the increased spread of the area could affect services such as police department response times and snow plowing.

The city staff is considering how to best annex the parcels into the city and develop the area in the future.