'No going back'

COEUR d’ALENE — Ron Orcutt bought his home on Broken Arrow Road 44 years ago.

It’s part of the idyllic Indian Meadows neighborhood where residents know each other, wave to each other and exchange greetings.

On a cold, cloudy Thursday morning, Orcutt, joined by dog Molly, was on his usual walk on Appaloosa Road. He stopped to chat with Melissa Dyk, who was out with her children and Suzanne Knutson. Both live on Appaloosa.

Orcutt stopped for a minute, chatted, then continued his walk.

“It’s a nice place to live,” he said.

While more houses have been built since Orcutt settled in Indian Meadows, it has kept its charm and appeal. It has retained its friendly atmosphere. Tall ponderosa pine trees stand watch over families, 30-somethings and seniors.

When a windstorm toppled trees that blocked streets, residents quickly emerged, chainsaws in hand and cleared the way. They didn't wait for help.

It’s where kids ride bikes without worry and an occasional moose passes through.

“We cross-country ski in our neighborhood, because we can,” Knutson said.

But she and others worry that all they love about where they live is in jeopardy.

It’s not the planned Coeur Terre development to the west itself that concerns them. To a person, they said they understand growth is inevitable and know the vacant land will one day be filled with people, homes, parks and schools.

The concern is that Appaloosa Road, along with Arrowhead Road to the north, could become connector roads to and from Coeur Terre, providing both entry and exit points.

That means a vast increase in daily vehicles rolling past their homes, morning, noon and night.

It will, Orcutt said, change everything. He doesn’t care for the idea of cars, trucks and SUVs rumbling through what he considers one of Coeur d'Alene's last peaceful places.

"Why is that development taking precedence over our neighborhood, which has been here since the '70s?” he asked.

The Coeur d’Alene City Council will consider the Coeur Terre annexation and zone change request during a public hearing Feb. 7 in the Library Community Room. A large crowd is expected.

Indian Meadows residents, for the past few months, have been attending City Council meetings and, during public comment, have been stating their concerns.

"We’re thinking, 'OK, we need to do something now,'” Knutson said.

"We don’t want to bombard them on the night of the hearing, but we will because it’s public testimony night,” she said.

Dyk agrees.

“This neighborhood is worth fighting for,” she said.

Coeur Terre

The Kootenai County Land Company is planning Coeur Terre, a project that calls for a variety of about 2,000 housing units, businesses and restaurants, 18 acres of parks, 4 miles of trails and land for two public schools inside the western edge of Coeur d’Alene city limits.

The proposed annexation and zoning change received unanimous approval in October from the Coeur d’Alene Planning Commission.

The property is north of Interstate 90, south of west Hanley Avenue, east of Huetter Road and west of Atlas Road.

Hilary Patterson, Coeur d'Alene's community planning director, said the 438.81 acres comprise 14 lots.

“They would need to do subdivisions and possible planned unit development (PUD) requests to develop the property," she wrote in response to questions from The Press. "Otherwise, they are limited to the maximum number of dwelling units or other uses as allowed by the lot sizes and associated zoning districts on the 14 existing lots."

The undeveloped land is zoned agricultural suburban. The zoning change would allow for residential and commercial development.

Buildout is expected to be over 20 to 30 years. The entire project is more than 1,000 acres, and could eventually have about 4,500 residences, which would mean more than 10,000 people. The remaining acreage sits to the west within Post Falls city limits.

Patterson wrote that the City Council must make findings to approve or deny the project.

"The City Council has to determine if the requested annexation is reasonably necessary for orderly development, if the City can provide services to it, and if it is in the best interest of the City," she wrote.

Orcutt worries it’s already a done deal.

“It seems to me like all the hearings are a dog and pony show. Whatever we say, they’re still going to have their project,” he said.

Indian Meadows

Robert and Suzanne Knutson bought their Appaloosa Road home on an acre about six years ago. A few years later, they began hearing rumors of development on the nearby vacant land.

“We knew that field had been sold,” Suzanne said.

Plans for Coeur Terre came to light about three years ago, and then late last year, the Knutsons heard Appaloosa was proposed as a connector road, along with Arrowhead and Nez Perce and, perhaps, Spiers Avenue to the north.

That came as a surprise. Appaloosa and Arrowhead both dead-end now at Buckskin Road.

“We were like, ‘What?'” Suzanne said.

She said Appaloosa would see most of the traffic increase.

"We would be the first through street, which is the one people are going to take,” Suzanne said.

The Knutsons, along with several neighbors, believe their peaceful neighborhood is in danger of being lost. They would rather see the development connect to Industrial Loop to access Atlas Road.

The Knutsons are feeling closed in by development.

South is River’s Edge, which is in progress and at buildout could have about 680 apartment units.

North is the Faith Walk Community Fitness Park just off Atlas near Kathleen. That 10-acre project is also in progress.

That Appaloosa could see high traffic count as a connector to Coeur Terre is their biggest fear.

“Once it goes through, then there’s no going back,” she said.

On Thursday, Dyk was walking with her children, Kellen, Faith and Harper, dog Chase and pony Cali in Indian meadows.

They bought their home five years ago and love their neighborhood.

“There’s nothing like it. It’s special,” she said. “We want to keep it slow and sleepy here. We just want our kids to be raised here with how it is right now. We don’t want lots of cars zooming past.”

Dyk said Nez Perce, Industrial Loop and Hanley Avenue seem to be the more logical choices for access points to Coeur Terre.

“We just think there’s different routes they could use,” she said.

Corinna Gardiner was out Thursday riding in a small cart being pulled by Teddy, her miniature horse. She greeted the Dyk family and Suzanne as they walked on Arrowhead Road.

She, too, believes Indian Meadows is special.

“It’s like you have wilderness, some kind of a farm community, in a city, basically,” she said.

A steady stream of traffic would be a negative impact, she said, and some residents stand to lose property if Arrowhead Road is widened.

“I’m not against growth. I understand that. But this would destroy the neighborhood," Gardiner said.

Don Schmitt, a retired family doctor, has lived on Arrowhead Road since having his home built on an acre there in 1985.

He said it’s always been quiet and friendly and he wants it to stay that way.

"They’re talking about widening this road and taking our landscaping," he said, pointing to snow-covered bushes and his mailbox. “Those would go.”

He worries that Coeur Terre could ultimately have 6,000 residents on the Post Falls side and 6,000 on the Coeur d’Alene side.

That would create a “traffic nightmare."

“We don’t want them coming down streets in our neighborhood. There’s got to be some other access,” he said.

Schmitt sent pictures to Coeur d’Alene City Council members of kids riding ponies in Indian Meadows, so the council members get a sense of what it’s like.

"It’s just a different place," he said. "I don’t want them to turn it into something else just because there's a big development.”