Post Falls denies Tullamore annex request

Post Falls' exponential growth saw a moment of reprieve Tuesday night after council members shot down the Tullamore Vista Annexation proposal in a 5-1 vote. 

The 20-acre area north of Prairie Avenue has long been a hot topic, brought before the council by more than one developer. Initially requested to be zoned mixed residential, the applicant suggested the property would be filled with a maximum of 170 units on 30-to-50-foot lots. Councilman Steve Anthony, the only yes vote, noted that the project came before the council about a year and a half ago as a multifamily development. Since then, the housing crisis has only grown. 

“I looked the other day, and there are 179 units and 176 already spoken for. So there are three units you can buy as a homebuyer coming into town,” Anthony said. “If we bring businesses in, where do we expect them to live? If we keep turning down everything, why are we investing in Jobs Plus?”

Councilman Alan Wolfe quickly disputed the project, pointing out the marks it did not meet in the Post Falls Comprehensive Plan specifically, and that the council should consider whether an annexation will benefit or improve the city.

He pointed to the visions and values of balanced and beneficial growth while maintaining a small-town atmosphere and quality of life. Wolfe said the council is responsible for promoting fiscally sound growth and that annexations play a significant role in achieving that. 

“I feel that adding houses on the outside edge of Post Falls will have an impact on our fire and police services. I think when people are chasing something going on way out there, they’re not taking care of things that are going on within the city itself,” Wolfe said. 

While there is certainly a need for housing in Kootenai County and the rapidly growing Post Falls area, Wolfe said, he discerned that adding more land might not be the answer. 

“We have an adequate supply of developable land at the present time,” he said. “That’s not to say in two or three years that we’d be looking at this property and saying we really need to add this to the city.”

Concerns of timing, traffic, and quality of life became a recurring argument against the annexations.

Councilwoman Linda Wilhelm, a self-identified growth supporter, echoed these ideas. She mentioned that transportation issues are why the council has turned down a handful of other development proposals that would have contributed to mounting traffic and degrading pedestrian safety around Highway 41. 

Referencing an earlier comment by Wolfe, if the 170 units averaged 1.5 children per dwelling, there would be approximately 255 children roaming the 20 acres, she said. Factoring in the Tullamore Sports Complex, which was recently approved across Prairie Avenue, there's a risk of 255 young bodies near a heavily used auxiliary.

“I feel like it’s dangerous,” Wilhelm said. “Children are going to want some place to play, and they’re going to be running across Prairie Avenue, and Prairie Avenue is a busy street.”

Despite council concerns, many said they like the project and believe it could — one day in the future — benefit the community as a source of smaller, more affordable housing. However, with Highway 41 improvements delayed and growth flooding local roadways, now is not the time. 

“My big issue is traffic. Traffic flows, Highway 41, the light at Cecil Road,” Councilman Lynn Borders said. “Those kinds of things I would like to see in place before we put a bunch more traffic out there. I like the project from the standpoint of the fit of the type of development to go in there. I think that’s a good fit for that, but I think we’re just way too premature in doing it.”