Editorial: Tech Hub key to housing solutions
North Idaho is one of the safest, cleanest, best places to live. It’s the kind of place that visitors from around the world often dare dream, “Man, I sure would love to live here.”
But exorbitant housing costs coupled with paucity of well-paying jobs are dream killers. However, last week’s announced federal designation of the Coeur d’Alene-Spokane region as one of just 31 U.S. Tech Hubs very well could go a long way in making many of those dreams come true. Consider that 400 applications were winnowed to 31 winners.
The designation advances our region to the next phase, which will select a handful of the 31 to receive tens of millions of dollars to bolster their technological infrastructure and innovations. The centerpiece of the local coalition’s proposal includes the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center, which would combine applied education research, workforce training and advanced production. It would be principally located in a 386,000-square-foot repurposed manufacturing facility near Spokane International Airport but have a tremendous positive impact across the entire region.
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