Plans For Mobile Home Park Withdrawn Hauser Residents Cited Sewage Lagoon, More Traffic In Opposing Application

Hauser residents won’t see a manufactured home park and accompanying open sewage lagoon built just outside of town, at least for now.

A developer and his consultant on Monday withdrew their application to the county to build 123 homes on 66 acres about a quarter-mile north of state Highway 53 on Cloverleaf Road.

Many residents opposed landowner Carl Staley’s attempts to build the development, saying the proposed lagoon will stink and the development will increase traffic.

In a letter to county planning director Cheri Howell, planning consultant J.P. Stravens said he needs more time to address items that “became apparent” late last week.

“1) The school district is actively pursuing a solution to the use of its five-acre existing site across Cloverleaf Road from our site, which we have proposed to provide service to,” the letter stated.

“2) The city of Hauser has let it be known that their position on this matter will be changing.

“3) A manufactured homes representative wants to assist us in addressing the affordable housing needs in Kootenai County.

“We therefore request to have the application withdrawn to allow us time to address these important issues prior to a public hearing,” Stravens wrote.

When asked in a phone interview to further explain his letter, Stravens said, “I don’t think so. … I think it speaks for itself.”

Carl Staley, the landowner, could not be reached for comment.

Neither the Hauser planning and development code administrator nor the mayor knew what Stravens meant when he wrote that the city’s position will be changing.

“As far as I know, the city has not changed its stance since day one,” said Mayor Ed Peone.

City officials state that Hauser has jurisdiction over the proposed site because it abuts the city’s boundaries and is a subdivision.

“Our only position is that we have extraterritorial jurisdiction on this matter,” said Scott Brown, the code administrator. “I didn’t know that anything was changing.”

A public hearing on the manufactured home park was scheduled for Monday evening before the county Planning and Zoning Commission. The county planning department received Stravens’ letter at 3:45 p.m.

When the proposal first appeared for a public hearing with the Planning and Zoning Commission in October, many neighbors turned out to oppose the plan, complaining that they didn’t want to live next to an open sewage lagoon.

Stravens has said the sewage lagoon is better for the environment than an underground system and would not smell bad. Neighbors say it would, and they worry about the traffic the development would create.

Stravens has said the traffic the development would create would be negligible.

Patty Black, a neighbor who has helped coordinate much of the opposition, questioned Stravens’ motives in withdrawing his application at the last moment.

“This is a very last-minute move. I’m sure it was really calculated,” Black said. “I’m not impressed, and I think it’s a very nasty tactic on his part. I think it’s meant to demolish interest due to frustration.”

Black and other neighbors mailed 356 postcards to neighbors to notify them of Monday night’s meeting. She estimated they’ve spent about $420 on mailings.

Stravens also requested a hearing in February be postponed. Black and others had mailed out hundreds of postcards notifying people of that hearing.

“Pay attention to how this guy (Stravens) is treating us now, because it’s going to be the same in the future,” Black said. “I just don’t feel I want a 13-acre sewage lagoon in my back yard.”

, DataTimes