High hopes for height limits in downtown Coeur d'Alene

Building-height restrictions are again being discussed for downtown Coeur d’Alene. 

A working group that has been reviewing downtown regulations and design guidelines is recommending there be no more high rises allowed in the area. 

“We want to preserve downtown and make sure that the character of our town isn’t destroyed by a bunch of overdevelopment and things that will detract from what people find charming about downtown,” said City Councilor Dan Gookin, a member of the group that began meeting early last year. 

It won’t happen quickly. Modeling, studies and more meetings are needed, as well as input from the public and key stakeholders. 

But councilors said the sooner the process can be moved along, the better. 

“There's a sense of urgency on the heights, what could be coming if we don’t get ahead of it,” Christie Wood said Tuesday. 

Kiki Miller agreed. 

“These towers are going to get planned and developed while we’re in the middle of trying to get something done,” she said. 

Several high rises have been built in downtown Coeur d’Alene since 2000. They include the 15-story McEuen Terrace at Seventh and Front, the 20-story Parkside Tower at Sixth and Front and the 15-story One Lakeside at First and Lakeside. 

The Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Lakeside Tower is 18 stories. 

The Thomas George under construction at Third and Front will be 18 stories, the 15-story Sherman Tower is being built at First and Sherman and the six-story Marriott hotel is going up at Sixth and Sherman. 

The city's downtown core zoning district established in 2005 allows structures up to 200 feet tall, plus 20 more for mechanical equipment or other architectural features. 

While high-rises are criticized for blocking views and negatively affecting the downtown's charm, they are also considered a key component of the area's economic growth.

Hilary Patterson, Coeur d’Alene community planning director, presented the group’s latest findings to the City Council on Tuesday. She said it has tried to incorporate a historic preservation perspective while evaluating the development potential of downtown. 

Traffic flow and parking, pedestrian-friendly designs, outdoor lighting, public safety, view corridors and development standard changes have been topics of discussions.

The group also evaluated how other communities like Whitefish, Mont., Boise, Telluride, Colo., Miami and Los Angeles have combined new and old.

The group’s initial recommendations on “prospective tower heights" were: 

Limit to 45 feet on Front, Sherman and Lakeside avenues west of Eighth Street.

Limit to 110 feet on Coeur d’Alene Avenue west of Sixth Street.

No additional 2,200-foot towers in downtown.

“Do we want to keep having towers of that extreme while trying to preserve the historic core?” Patterson said. 

Talks of downtown height limits aren't new. The Coeur d’Alene City Council unanimously agreed in 2022 to discuss the potential of height and parking restrictions in the downtown overlay district.

Next steps for the group include seeking stakeholder and public Input, evaluating downtown core and infill boundaries; modeling with assistance from the University of Idaho; evaluating traffic impacts of alternatives and one-way roads and drafting development standards and design guidelines for consideration.

Patterson said they hope to determine how to preserve what makes Coeur d’Alene special while development continues.

“We recognize time is of the essence with all these efforts,” she said. 

    The crane for the Marriott hotel construction at Sixth and Sherman stands between Parkside Towers and McEuen Terrace on Tuesday.