The transformation of midtown continues with the proposed 2012 construction of a mix-use retail and housing development along the Coeur d'Alene corridor. The Housing Company, developer of the proposed project, will provide an update to midtown stakeholders and the general public March 14 at 6 p.m. at the American Legion, 754 N. 4th Street, across from the site. In its continuing midtown revitalization efforts, the Lake City Development Corporation plans to partner with the Idaho Housing and Finance Association and The Housing Company for the mix-use development to promote the business environment in the sector and facilitate development of new workforce housing. The proposed project will include 9,000-square-feet of commercial space on the street level and 45 workforce residential rental units on three floors above/Keith Erickson for Lake City Development Corp.

Question: Do you support ongoing efforts to redevelopment Coeur d'Alene's Midtown area?

A famous face is back in Coeur d` Alene.Clint Robertson who was the runner up on last year on Donald Trump's The Apprentice tv show has returned to his home territory of North Idaho to buy the City Loan and Pawn store on N. 4th in Midtown Coeur d` Alene.Since taking over the pawn shop he has changed somethings around with the most obvious being the name,The business is now called Golden City Gold Buyers and specializes in buying gold and silver.The Pawn shop part of the business is still there but Clint said he hopes to move the pawn shop elsewhere in the future.The new business can be seen in many ads now being ran on cable tv thru Coeur d` Alene and Post Falls/Matthew Behringer, Inland Northwest Business Watch. More here.

Also:

• Kootenai Prosthetics & Orthodontics of Coeur d` Alene is growing with their new office open in Spokane Valley at 1424 N McDonald Rd. Suite 201.They will also open soon in Post Falls on Polston near Super 1.
• Kristi and Charli's Salon has opened recently in Hayden,They are located in a new office building at 1130 W. Hayden Ave Suite 101
• More here

Orginally proposed back in 2007 by LCDC and a company called The Housing Company,An affordable housing structure in Midtown Coeur d Alene is back on the table and could be begin construction as early as this fall.Some things have changed with the project as THC points out that the market has shifted greatly since 2007 so while the housing was to be in low priced condo's,now we know that the project will be apartments,45 units in all with 90 parking spaces and ground floor retail space,9,000 sq feet in the newly redesigned Midtown Coeur d Alene district.THC is asking LCDC for 447,000 additional dollars as a pledge to assure a grant from the state.The apartments are to be built directly on 4th st on land LCDC already owns and is currently occupied by Paris Flea Market and a bargin grocery store by 4th St. and Roosevelt Ave/Tom Behringer, Inland Northwest Business Watch. (SR file photo: Patrick Jacobs)

• Patrick Jacobs/Get Out, North Idaho tweets: “I'm going to miss the colorful Rock & Roll mural on the side of the Handy Mart 2 building (formerly Youth Ranch)”

Question: What will a workforce housing/commercial project do to Midtown?

Saying there are too many thrift stores in midtown is like saying there's too many shots of vodka in your morning smoothie, so of course it's good news that Good Pickins (802 N. 4th Street) has opened for business near Capone's. Whenever I make my thrift rounds and can't find any treasures at a particular store, I always complain that the place was “totally picked”, so hopefully the name of this place is a good omen. Looking at their facebook photos, I'm not betting on it. Yes, I'll give them a break since they just opened, but from what I can see, the place is pretty barren/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.

Question: Which thrift store do you enjoy browsing most?

Anyone remember Barney’s Market in Midtown (current site of Capone’s)? In his Remember the Roxy blog, OrangeTV posts this photo (courtesy of Claudia Poupore Self) with this comment: “Photo taken in late 50s/early 60s. This corner is the current location of Capones, Discount Mart, etc. The Discount Food Mart, of course, is the former location of the Boys Youth Ranch thrift store.

As a geologist, Chris Coscia is used to handling ancient materials and making new discoveries. Yet when the new owner of Kelly’s Irish Pub read about the availability of this five-month-old Coeur d’Alene restaurant on Craigslist, he didn’t have to dig too deep to see its potential. And since buying the place, much to his credit, he has managed a nearly seamless transition. The least visible change is the interior of Kelly’s, with its dark green walls festooned with Irish memorabilia, although Coscia has installed several televisions — an addition which seemed to be going over well with the cadre of working men bellied up to the bar with pints in hand. Food service, however, changed quite a bit — including new head chef Ronikae Achord, who has more than doubled the menu offerings/Pacific Northwest Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo: Carrie Scozzaro)

Question: Any reviewers out there want to tell us what you think of Kelly’s Irish Pub?

Item: Meandering midtown: Business owners hope redevelopment will make things easier on shoppers/Patrick O’Brien, CDA Press

More Info: Long an important city thoroughfare, and once a thriving shopping district, midtown is slated for a major retrofit. This spring (a more definitive date has not been set), the city will begin work on the Fourth Street overlay. Later this summer — contingent upon the economy — construction could begin on a two- to three-story condominium unit that would cater to the workforce. While major redevelopment will never appease the entirety of the public, even given the economic doldrums, citizens seem acquiescent, as long as the project retains the flavor of the central neighborhood.

Question: When did you last stop at a Midtown business that wasn’t named Capones?