MY TURN: ignite cda and Atlas Mill

The ignite cda pledge, “We Want What You Want,” was holding its own on the urban renewal districts for the lake and river. We certainly received a balance of public and private business related boosts throughout high profile areas serving tourists, taxpaying citizens and businesses alike. Multiple developers and entities showed up to build the wide-ranging visions.

Perhaps these successes went to the head of both the city and ignite cda. Identifying the “blighted“ Atlas Mill site as needing their attention, even while blighted areas have many already existing streets and infrastructure all over our city. Atlas Mill visioning was way more glitzy than down and dirty real urban renewal. Multiple capable developers had passed on the 50 acres of debris that could have remained dormant until the time was right. Instead the city and ignite cda turned into developers with a $9 million buy. It was a way to get waterfront improvements that we appreciate and sewer connections from the west. At what cost? Our sewer district loaned the Atlas works $8 million. What was never assembled was a full budget projection, competitive bids and payoff plan on such a complex purchase and development to shovel-ready lots. According to ignite cda, its topmost goal now is to (desperately) repay the debt, before all else. 

Developers know risk is their nemesis — they gauge risk and reward. Events like COVID-19 are reason to slow the rollout, not unlike 2008 and the Riverstone completion. 2019 saw inventory disappear, production stop, labor shrink and all prices skyrocket. We had 2018 through 2038 for this U.R.D. But Atlas kept forging ahead over the financial cliff. Who was steering this dune buggy? 

The original vision included a mix of service, retail (think groceries, salons, dentist, pharmacy) and local services for residents that would keep them local. Live Work Play (CPA, architect, consultants, small startups), all manner of housing mixes engaged with the streets and a passive park on the pile of bark and debris called Mount Hink. The goals were to include our four pillars — hospital, hospitality, public schools and NIC and future taxpayers with great amenities at the river. The failure of vision to reality was lack of a developer's budget and honest quantity surveying by experienced consultants. We purchased a dream without a price tag. For only 70 acres, we had more “experts” on board than all of Cd'A Place through 25 years.

The taxpayers’ representatives are now looking at recouping the most expensive pile of dirt in the city/county and the only possible way is through placing high-priced products on platinum dirt. Adding insult to injury, we have not stopped spending — Mount Hink has been trucked out to Ramsey Road at the 2023 cost of $5 million and still has more to come out and be contoured. A buttress slope at the Seltice dropoff, structural building grade topsoil on Hink, massive retaining walls, safety fencing at Seltice and additional infrastructure still loom large. Shovel-ready is a long way off for builders or buyers.

They hope to save it all with the future build of ambitious million-dollar 1,000-1,500-square-foot cottages against 10 lanes of future highway traffic, a massive block wall, fencing and a carbon monoxide trap. Suggestions to place affordable, attainable, aspirational housing here is a slap at the workforce — repugnant on all levels. Maybe river-facing midrise condos with triple glazing might be more humane. Small spends remain like the $430,000 signage to cover street signs and three large monument signs for the Atlas millionaire site. Looking ahead, we can easily plan for another $10 million to stanch this bleed. 

Lucky for us, our local developers and builders showed up and have been handsomely rewarded as they fill demand for the wealthy tax-savvy buyers willing to live 10 feet apart on postage stamp lots. These tax refugees make sure they appear to own a primary residence for 270 days a year with a residence in Idaho. In winter, the entire river from Belle Rive to Mill River is roughly 25-40% occupied. Kudos to our police force for making their circuits for these empty boxes. Like many desirable places, i.e. Boulder or Tahoe or Bellevue, the wealthy help the tax base of a local government and seasonally feed our economy. Wealthy ghetto or enclave — it means gentrification does more harm to the workforce and four pillars of our city as we further isolate the workers we desperately need — millennials, Gen Z and our kids, who never get above the bottom. Daily commutes from Sandpoint, St. Maries and Spokane are common to get their American home far removed from our city-endorsed gentrification.

The harm of putting top-heavy products of $1-3 million and higher tax revenue is the bottom rises for purchasing anything affordable. The people who can least afford a car, auto insurance and gas get shoved further out. The $7.25 per hour-plus tips hospitality workers live week to week or leave. We cannot even get the trained young doctors with kids to come here and trade down for less of everything. Developers, building middle-income homes nationwide, left the project, as it is not their kind of product or viable price point. 

Perhaps the city, ignite cda, our former mayor and the entitled nabobs always intended to hand out a brass ring to the 2% and ignore the 98% of taxpayers with a 20-year grift from 2018-2038. No matter what they do, the hole they dug at Atlas may be on trend for looks, but trading our future needs against some waterfront improvements is hard to swallow. 

I do not support, like many actual resident citizens of Cd'A, any more gilded projects under the “we want what you want" banner unless it is a commuter bus service, real people amenities and true blight assistance. Developments like Cd'A Place, by competent and seasoned developers, may not be “on trend” to the elites, but they are the communities that build and advance a future city for 98% of us. 

Playing a developer on training wheels is too costly. Leave that to experienced free market developers to create housing for our much-needed future doctors, nurses, servers, teachers, administrators and shrinking workforce. NEVER again an open checkbook for profiteers with no forecasting, actual budgeting or a social conscience. I lost all faith in a process with no accountability and cavalier arrogance. Know that taking on a mountain to fix an income problem is not the answer. Just stop digging and step away from the bottomless pit. 

Those in power, please do Cd'A taxpayers a favor: Close Atlas Millionaire site in 2028 and figure out how to pay off the debt legacy taxpayers had no voice in adopting.

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Lynn Fleming is a Coeur d'Alene resident.