City Rejects Beauty Park Annexation

Developers of the controversial Beauty Park subdivision lost another bid for annexation Tuesday evening before the Coeur d’Alene City Council.

The council voted to reject, with prejudice, annexing the subdivision in its current form, meaning the developers cannot ask for the same deal for at least 12 months. The move was the annexation’s fourth defeat before a government body.

The developers, however, can come back at any time with a less dense housing proposal.

At the urging of Councilwoman Dixie Reid, the council also voted to consider laws prohibiting the use of 85-year-old plats for modern subdivisions. Beauty Park, located northeast of 15th Street and Thomas Lane, originally was subdivided in 1910, allowing several more homes per acre than neighbors or city staff would support today.

But Elmer Smith - who represented developers Rick Gunther of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty and attorney Jim Magnuson - kept reminding the council that the subdivision is legal. His clients merely want a chance to annex and hook up to the city water and sewer systems, he said.

The developers are unwilling to replat the subdivision from a density of eight lots per acre to a maximum of three lots per acre. They would be willing to restrict development to five lots per acre, he said.

A standing-room-only crowd of nearly 90 people jammed council chambers. Not all testified, but all who did opposed the development.

Residents said they are concerned about increased traffic on 15th Street and nearby byways and what it would mean for their children. Some expressed concern about the subdivision’s effects on schools.

A child, Logan Young, said he would miss the deer he regularly sees in Beauty Park.

A woman, Elsie Jaeger, said such a dense development would lead to trouble. “If you put anything like he wants in there, you will see slums,” she said.

, DataTimes