Blackwell Island Plan On Cda Agenda Proposal To Build Rv Park Controversial
If Mark Hall has his way, the 40-acre parcel of land near his family’s Yacht Club marina eventually will be home to a 220-acre RV park and small commercial center.
But a vocal group of activists have opposed the Blackwell Island project since it was introduced three years ago. A lawsuit filed by the Rural Kootenai Organization helped overturn the development’s 1995 approval, and led to the Planning and Zoning Commission’s rejection of the plan when it was re-submitted to the commission last March.
On Tuesday evening, city council members will have their say in the matter when Hall appeals that decision.
“We want to have one of the best and only RV parks in North Idaho that’s on a lake,” Hall said. “What we are developing is an RV park where people will come and stay weeks at a time.”
Despite the fact that Hall has withdrawn controversial plans to use sediment dredged from an adjacent channel to build elevated RV sites, members of the Rural Kootenai Organization haven’t budged in their condemnation of the project.
“There are still some concerns which remain,” said Gerry Gospodnetich, a member of the group. He said he doesn’t think issues like storm-water management, flood control, or that the RV park site will be located on a former landfill have been adequately addressed.
At stake here, fellow member Wes Hanson said, is not just one development - he looks at Blackwell Island’s annexation as the “convenient stepping stone” to Coeur d’Alene’s expansion west of the Spokane River.
But city officials denied that they rubberstamped the project in hopes of speeding up the city’s growth. Jean DeBarbieris, an associate planner, pointed to a heavy box full of records from what some have come to call the “Blackwell Island ordeal.”
City engineer Gordon Dobler also disputed claims that government officials, from the Department of Transportation down to the Department of Environmental Quality, haven’t done their homework on the matter.
“This has moved through the process very slowly,” Dobler said. “The fact is, this wasn’t a very difficult project from a technical standpoint. There have been political issues to deal with, and it’s kind of muddied the waters.”
Tuesday night’s meeting at City Hall is expected to be heated. Rural Kootenai Organization members are planning to attend in force.
“I think much of what makes Coeur d’Alene unique hinges around keeping adjacent area for wildlife habitat,” said Gospodnetich. “We know that development is going to happen. I just don’t think it needs to spread out in every direction where problems are likely to be encountered.”
After three years of battling for his RV park, Hall is just hoping Tuesday’s meeting will put an end to this long, frustrating chapter. He said he has grown tired of paying over $30,000 annually in property taxes on land he may never be able to do anything with.
“I believe most of their arguments are emotional,” Hall said. “They’re just using the shotgun approach to keep the city from crossing the river.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of area
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Meeting The City Council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m.