An iceberg? In Kootenai County?
Yes, the Coeur d'Alene region has an iceberg. And, like most icebergs, you aren’t aware of its full mass — until maybe it’s too late.
Our iceberg is in the form of the many big looming problems related to rampant growth being permitted in the region. Problems such as traffic congestion, water & sewer at capacity, school crowding, reduced police and fire protection and others less prominent.
A tip of our iceberg became evident recently when hot weather and the demand for water in the city of Coeur d’Alene almost exceeded the city’s capacity to supply it. That’s a huge red flag — and very real dilemma! Of course, other services like sewers, school, police and fire protection are likely to experience similar challenges. That’s the unseen part of our ‘iceberg.’
Fortunately, a Regional Housing and Growth Partnership has been formed to address the problem. But it’s imperative this group focus on reasonable ways to control growth — and not just ways to accommodate it by building more and more housing. But given the make-up of this group — leaning heavily toward pro-growth real estate development and construction industries — it remains to be seen how effective this Partnership will be in doing the right things to preserve our quality of life. (I doubt that concerns for people and community will be put in front of development and profits.)
The recent Press article, “Our county is booming,” by Madison Hardy, presents a lot of good Census data about our growth, but seems to perpetuate the old thinking that all growth is good. Perhaps the headline should have been, ‘Our county is busting.’ The many negatives associated with rampant growth weren’t discussed. Likewise, the old assumption that growth is “inevitable” is still being expressed by top planning officials. This thinking must change if the quality of life is to be preserved. Our professional, well-paid planners must step up and use their expertise to provide policies that allow for reasonable growth while preserving our quality of life.
So it’s really a pretty simple question: Do we simply build more housing and accept rampant growth and a deteriorating quality of life? Or do we close the gate a bit and slow things down — maybe feel our way as we reach some tipping points? It’s the perfect time to limit growth to small increments, focusing on small in-fill affordable housing — not sprawl.
Cities and counties don’t have to accept and accommodate projections of huge growth. They can control regional growth using accepted, professional planning techniques, e.g. by limiting new construction and building permits, and by jointly agreeing to policies that discourage annexations that foster growth. Of course, to achieve this, regional planning agreements will be essential.
Hopefully, it won’t be a case of ‘closing the gate after the horse is out.’
By the way, it’s a perfect time for serious slow-growth candidates to step up and run for elected office in November to help change our current direction.
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Roger Smith is a seasonal Coeur d'Alene resident.