Four years ago, Editor Mike Patrick of the Coeur d'Alene Press provided an in depth look at developer John Stone's Riverstone, entitled "The Riverstone Experiment." The story discussed the impact of urban renewal on the development. Since Riverstone, urban renewal and a tech request are news again, the Press republished the story online today.

The gateway to Coeur d’Alene for the masses flowing in on Northwest Boulevard from Interstate 90 gives little hint that a gorgeous lake and thriving downtown are 60 seconds away. On the right is a blend of purported modernity: multi-storied condominiums resting on retail shops hulking in the background, framing a cold concrete parking garage, top level barren. There’s the windowless massive rear end of Regal Cinemas and retail space spreading north, buildings as blunt and bland from the back as they are warm and welcoming from the front. The theater’s sprawling roof, where air conditioning units crouch like abandoned cars on a forgotten tarmac, caps the visual splash until the Inland Northwest’s largest metal feather beckons from an approaching median. This might not be the welcome to the City by the Lake envisioned by chamber of commerce types, but it is the entryway to Exhibit 1 in the community’s controversial public-private urban renewal partnership, a live/work/play neighborhood evolved from an old mill site and 100 foot deep gravel pit. Over the past decade, it has stalled, flourished, staggered, and is showing signs of life again. This is the road to Riverstone. More here.

Question: How big of an asset to Coeur d'Alene do you consider Riverstone?