HOUSING: Get back the ‘heart’ in Cd’A

Len Crosby summed up our challenge in the local housing market. When investors purchase homes as a commodity to build wealth with no concern for the social fabric of a community we lose. The tax gains to our county and cities remain the same no matter the owner. There are corporate AirBNB developers who snap up multiple centrally located “tourist” properties. When multiple homes sit vacant during our low seasons they still need to be covered by police, fire, snow and leaf clearing, trash removal, etc. Our taxes at work on 1/3 of these empty residences is evidence that growth cannot pay for itself if no one is spending or attending locally our schools, churches, events or businesses. We need to bring back housing for the workforce and long-term residents as a priority to get back the “heart” in Coeur d’Alene. 

LYNN FLEMING

Coeur d’Alene