HOUSING: Setbacks should be part of the discussion

A few months ago I called the Coeur d’Alene Building Department to find out why the homes in a nearby single-family development were built so closely together. The answer was an absolute revelation, “Because that’s the way the developer wanted it.” Well, of course, that’s how all developers want it. Fit as many units as possible onto any given lot. That’s not news. But it was news to me that, within their purview, any building department would kowtow to any developer on anything, including setback.

The distance between your home and your neighbor’s is dictated by setback. If you wanted to, could you put in a flower garden or a small playground for the kids? Is there room in your backyard to invite family and friends over for a barbecue or room for your pet lab to run around in? If you wanted to lie out on a blanket and soak up some sun, could you do it confidently, in private?

We all need a little space but even a little may be deemed as too much. One suggestion put forth by the North Idaho Building Contractors Association.

(“Tackling growth together,” Nov. 20) is “increased density” to help house our workforce.

So I think we got a problem and setback is part of it. It should be in the discussion at least, along with building departments that play footsie with developers.

DEL T. CAMERON

Coeur d’Alene