'Miracle' timeline advances in Kootenai County

COEUR d’ALENE — The timeline for a housing project aimed at putting local workers into their own homes is speeding up. 

“We’re going to launch quicker than what we thought we were going to do,” said Maggie Lyons, executive director of the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance. 

Applications for “Miracle on Britton” are set to begin at the end of June, and construction is targeted for September. 

Lyons said the goal is to drive home ownership for local workers “at prices they can afford to buy.” 

“They have no hope for home ownership right now in our community,” she told about 150 people at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s Upbeat Breakfast at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on Tuesday, adding, “We refuse to accept that.” 

Miracle on Britton is a public/private partnership on a 4.65-acre parcel on Greensferry Road in Post Falls, south of Prairie Avenue and north of Poleline Avenue. The land was purchased by PAHA in August 2023 through a promissory note at 5% interest for 12 months, carried by the seller. 

Twenty-six homes will be built with prices ranging from $290,000 to $399,000, affordable for those earning from $75,000 to $116,000, which is about 80% of the area median income. 

Two homes will range from $420,000 to $430,000, for those earning about $125,000.

Miracle on Britton would include a mix of land trusts and deed-restricted fee simple homes. In a land trust, the buyer owns the structure and the land is held by a nonprofit. Fee simple means ownership of structure and land.

Lyons said they will be beautiful homes, ranging from a 1,000-square-foot home to 1,268-square-foot home.

“We're really breaking ground in Kootenai County,” Lyons said. “It can be done across the state.” 

Lyons said 70% of local workers want to own a home but can’t afford one. The median price of a single-family home in Kootenai County is $525,000, according to the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors.

According to a report from the Housing Solutions Partnership, the area’s median income is $93,500, meaning an affordable home would be about $410,000. That calls for a $60,000 down payment.

According to PAHA, the percentage of Kootenai County households able to afford to purchase a home fell from 75% in 2016 to only 20% in 2023. Local rental prices have risen so sharply that many low-income families pay 50% or more of their income for housing. 

Lyons said preference at Britton will be given to those who live and work here. 

It’s “local worker housing,” she said 

Once Miracle on Britton is complete, Lyons said there will be a template to share with lenders, title companies and builders to show that such housing projects can be done elsewhere. 

“Isn't that exciting, to wrap your head around that? We have some hope,” said Kiki Miller, Coeur d'Alene city councilwoman.

Miller said many tell her the lack of affordable housing in the Coeur d'Alene area can’t be solved. 

She said a challenge on the housing issue is keeping the community engaged “and how do we get past this apathy.” 

"I don’t think we should do just nothing," Miller said. "It's too important."

Lyons said it’s imperative to get municipalities to provide incentives for builders to build affordable homes.

“We need our jurisdictions to understand that limiting supply doesn’t stop growth, that we need to actively engage in managing our growth in a smart way," Lyons said.

Miracle on Britton partners include PAHA, Mountain West Bank, TitleOne, Mann Mortgage, Simplicity by Hayden Homes and Grounded Solutions Network.

Todd Sullivan of Sulivan Homes said he’s been in the home construction business for more than 30 years. He said changes are coming in affordable housing. 

“It’s possible,” he said.

Sullivan said that through two pilot programs in Spokane, his company can deliver two-bedroom, two-bathroom, duplex units with granite countertops for less than $200,0000.

He said the rising cost of housing has more to do with politics than anything else. 

"The affordable housing crisis is a political crisis,” Sullivan said. 

Miller agreed, kind of.

“It’s political at some points,” she said.