Economics Of Growth Must Involve Trade-Offs, Compromise

Welcome some new jobs and buildings.

And kiss the prairie goodbye.

Slowly we’re making trade-offs for growth. The trees on the mountains become wood, and the gravel under the prairie becomes concrete. Some people are bothered by that; some aren’t.

Since growth is inevitable, the solution is to compromise. Planners must allow green belts and recreational parks in return for housing belts and industrial parks.

Most people live here to enjoy North Idaho’s outdoor amenities, not the malls. But as people come here, they need opportunities to survive. That’s the way it is.

Part of the prairie that quickly is disappearing isn’t too tragic because it’s adjacent to the freeway anyway. And since it’s also near the Washington border, it has the advantages of Idaho business breaks and the Spokane population base.

That’s why the outlet malls are there, of course. The support businesses follow.

The newest cluster is in the northeast corner of I-90 and Pleasantview Road. Investors John Marcheso of Coeur d’Alene and Rob Lewis and Mike Bibin of Spokane just completed Phase I of their project. Most of the businesses opened earlier this month.

Included are the Toro Viejo restaurant, Rugged Ridge outdoor clothing store, Western Warehouse western-style clothing store and Pleasantview Marine. The developers hope to land another restaurant and jewelry store for the remaining spaces.

Meanwhile, they have just begun Phase II of the project, an L-shaped building backing up to the freeway on the south and McDonalds on the east. The men are seeking tenants for the 29,000-square-foot facility.

Rugged Ridge opened last week in 3,000 square feet with a full line of Carhartt casual and work clothing. Other major brands include Woolrich, C.C. Filson and Danner boots.

Owner Amy Conley is a Spokane resident and Gonzaga University graduate. The business, which has six employees besides Conley, is open 9 to 6 daily and 11 to 5 Sundays.

Western Warehouse, with 5,000 square feet in a building shared with Toro Viejo, features men’s, women’s and children’s western wear, boots and accessories. Brand names include Wrangler, Justin, Tony Lama, Nocona and Resistol Hats.

The store, which opened Oct. 1, is owned by the Jerry and Robin Bass family, with offspring Suzie and Mike and his wife Cindy. The Coeur d’Alene family started Bass Western Wear in Coeur d’Alene 10 years ago and expanded to the Coeur d’Alene Resort Shopping Plaza with Worn Out West.

With six employees, Western Warehouse is open 9:30 to 6 daily and 11 to 5 Sundays.

Although still in the planning and red-tape stages, Kootenai Medical Center has 10 acres in Post Falls for a 30,000-square-foot medical office building.

Located between Highway 41 and Idaho Street and south of Mullan Road, the building will house doctors’ offices, imaging and laboratory facilities, outpatient counseling and dietary services and classrooms. The project may begin in the spring and would take about seven months to build.

“A lot of interest was generated in a survey last spring,” said Don Soltman, KMC vice president of support services. “We have a tentative commitment to 20,000 square feet, much of that from Post Falls physicians.”

Manny and Gladys Schneidmiller donated the property to the KMC Foundation.

Bayshone Systems Inc., a company that designs and fabricates custom heavy machinery, plans to employ about 15 people when it moves to Rathdrum from Benicia, Calif., next year.

A 20,000-square-foot building is planned for the northeast corner of Highway 41 and Boekel Road on property owned by Thayer Seed. Groundbreaking is noon Friday.

The company was recruited by Jobs Plus after Rich Kohles of Coldwell Banker-Schneidmiller Realty was contacted by the owning family about three years ago. Examples of Bayshore’s products include specialized drills, pile-driving equipment and hydraulic power units.

If making beds is a real turn-on for you, visit the Coeur d’Alene Resort Convention Center at 1:30 today for the regional contest of Super 8 Motels Inc.

Among 24 contestants competing on speed and quality will be Amy Groves of Coeur d’Alene, Kandie Cooper of Sandpoint, Diane Collins of Lewiston and Jackie Kilburn of Kellogg. The top three contestants will advance to the nationals in Las Vegas in March. About 85 people are attending the Super 8 regional meeting.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review