COEUR TERRE: Risks sense of community

I’ve been a Coeur d’Alene resident for 30 years and have called Indian Meadows home for the last 10.  With a young family, we were excited about moving to an area of CDA that offers great walkability, bike trails, a park, dog park and tennis (now pickleball) courts.

We chose this neighborhood 10 years ago because it was special.  The area is historically “old Coeur d’Alene” with many of the homes approaching 50 years old.  These neighborhoods are part of the fabric of Coeur d’Alene’s history and as such have been homes to generations of community members who have served and given back.  The parks and pedestrian paths on Atlas serve these neighborhoods as a testament to what thoughtful planning can achieve.  These paths encourage us to know one another, provide a sense of community and are a legacy to a founding vision of Coeur d’Alene.

Access to Coeur Terre via Nez Perce or Appaloosa will fundamentally change these heritage neighborhoods.  Indian Meadows, Fairway Forest, Northshire, Queen Anne and Woodside Park are simply not designed for east/west traffic that will materialize with Appaloosa and Nez Perce as collectors.  Already too busy streets like Evergreen and Fairway Dr will see thousands of new cars a day, with many of the side streets prone to dangerous drivers trying to make a shortcut.  

I urge those who live in these neighborhoods to speak up.  

Coeur Terre is but the start of what could be 10,000 or more homes along either side of Huetter.   Any connection via Appaloosa or Nez Perce is a death sentence to walkability and our legacy of communities.

I urge our city’s planners and councilmembers to work with the developer and community members to achieve a vision for the future that won’t rob these neighborhoods of their storied history and character.

KEVIN McCLELLAND

Coeur d’Alen