Powderhorn Ok’D Again

Kootenai County commissioners have given the Powderhorn Ridge subdivision another chance.

The proposed development would be built above Lake Coeur d’Alene, near Harrison. Developers asked for a one-year extension of the the preliminary plat approval, which the commissioners had OK’d in 1996 over the objections of the county planning commission.

In April, planning commissioners again expressed concerns about environmental damage to the lake that could be caused by the construction. But they forwarded the request for an extension with no recommendation to the county commission, which has final say.

The three county commissioners unanimously approved the request on Wednesday. But, according to county planner Chuck Finan, they did so with the warning that they likely would not approve another one-year extension.

That means work will have to begin at the site this year. So far, little has been done. Powderhorn developers say the project was derailed when one partner dropped out.

Former Spokane attorney Claude Irwin Jr. reportedly disappeared after removing money from a dead woman’s estate and putting it into two of his own companies, including Powderhorn.