Scarcello Ranch Subdivision Turned Down It Would Tarnish Rural Lifestyle, Officials Say
FROM FOR THE RECORD (Friday, July 10, 1998): Correction Wrong relative: The late Ruby Scarcello was the aunt of Kootenai County rancher Arthur Scarcello. Stories on Monday and Wednesday explained the relationship incorrectly.
In an effort to maintain the rural atmosphere of the land east of Twin Lakes, Kootenai County commissioners on Wednesday refused to approve the Scarcello Ranch subdivision.
The idea of putting 100 homes on 2-acre lots in the midst of ranchland didn’t sit well with Dick Panabaker and his two fellow commissioners.
“This is not consistent with the area,” Panabaker said. “If you’re going to have that kind of density, it should be done closer to where the services are.”
Commissioner Ron Rankin said he wanted to protect the property rights of people who bought land nearby believing it would remain uncrowded.
The land is zoned rural, so it’s not open to home sites smaller than 5 acres.
Developer Charles Potts needed the commissioners to approve a zone change to ag/suburban, as well as OK his subdivision plan.
“While I have sympathy for the developer, we’re not taking anything away from him,” Rankin said. “That’s the way it was zoned when he bought it.”
Potts left the meeting immediately after the vote. He later declined to comment.
Rancher Arthur Scarcello was among neighboring landowners pleased with the decision. He is against the development, which bears his family name because it was purchased from the estate of his cousin, Ruby Scarcello.
The land lies north of Scarcello Road and south of Round Mountain.
Commissioners did approve Potts’ separate request for 40 acres on which to apply treated waste water. Potts, who already has approval to build waste-water lagoons, will use the site to treat effluent from Twin Lakes Village. He also had planned to use the lagoon system for Scarcello Ranch.
Rankin and commission chairman Dick Compton encouraged Potts to apply for a subdivision of 5-acre lots, which would not require rezoning. In that case the homeowners also could use drainfields, which are less expensive but more threatening to the underground water supplies.
Compton said he “wrassled” over his decision before deciding to stick with the intent of the county’s comprehensive plan. It calls for preserving the area’s rural nature.
Compton said Potts would make less money if unable to subdivide into 2-acre lots. But he added: “I’m not sure it’s the board’s responsibility to make sure every development is profitable.”