Cherry Hill Project Put On Hold Developer To Study Further His Plan To Turn Sledding Hill Into 91 Home Sites

A developer is postponing plans to turn the city’s most popular sledding hill into 91 home sites because of concerns about adding streets and traffic to the steep slopes.

“I think the developer feels like he needs extra time to address concerns that have arisen,” both from city staff and the public, said Jean DeBarbieris, associate city planner.

That means Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeeting on Pat Acuff’s application for rezoning and annexation has been postponed until Nov. 10. Meanwhile, the Parks and Recreation Commission will consider ways of trying to make a deal with Acuff to turn part of the 30-acre development into a park.

Acuff, of Prudential Acuff Northwest Real Estate, recently approached the city about developing the land, near the intersection of 15th Street and Hazel Avenue. He could not be reached for comment Friday.

The city wants to know more about how Acuff plans to construct streets across the steep terrain, DeBarbieris said. There are questions about adding traffic to Hazel Avenue, one end of which also functions as the 15th Street exit ramp for Interstate 90.

Preliminary data indicate the level portion of the proposed development, located next to 15th Street, may be in a flood plain and that has to be addressed, DeBarbieris said.

The delay also gives the Parks and Recreation Commission another opportunity to address a long-standing proposal to make a slice of the sledding hill into a park. That would have to be a joint effort between Acuff and the city, said Doug Eastwood, parks director.

In the past, however, the city simply hasn’t had the money to acquire Cherry Hill, Eastwood said.

The City Planning Department mailed notices about the development to 37 neighbors. More than 100 people have written to the city on the project, most in opposition.

“The city is definitely overbuilt and our existing streets and roads cannot handle the increased amount of traffic,” Peter and Berni Dami wrote. The price of the proposed homes - between $90,000 and $100,000 - will adversely affect surrounding property values, they said.

Nora June Cooper echoed the traffic concerns in her letter, but also mentioned the tight city water supply during this summer’s hottest days.

“Could our water supply sustain an additional 90 households?” Cooper asked in her letter.

Ron Cole, who has pushed efforts to make Cherry Hill a park, says neighbors will take every legal avenue to stop the project.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT’S NEXT The Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday will consider ways that part of the Cherry Hill area might be made into a park. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Jewett House.