Apparently, Duane Hagadone has returned to the drawing board to find another way to expand his Coeur d’Alene Resort.

And that could be good for both Hagadone and the residents of Coeur d’Alene.

After the City Council indicated it would ask for an advisory vote on Hagadone’s request to close three city blocks for a memorial garden, the developer announced in the Coeur d’Alene Press he was reconfiguring his project. The Spokesman-Review learned Thursday that Hagadone is moving a planned second tower for the resort from the north side of Sherman Avenue to the current site of his downtown mall. That would mean he doesn’t need parts of Sherman and Front avenues closed.

However, Hagadone told this newspaper he’s still willing to build the botanical garden he described earlier if the city will close part of Sherman Avenue where it was to be developed.

Hagadone’s initial plan was impressive, and the new approach may be even better because it shouldn’t require that a third block, on Front Avenue, be shut. Hagadone deserves credit for continuing to tinker with his bold idea rather than withdraw it entirely. Council members – and Coeur d’Alene residents – owe the proposal a fair hearing.

It also would be nice to see Hagadone pursue his dream to honor his parents with a memorial garden – and that would require patiently selling his plan to a skeptical public with a strong historical attachment to Sherman Avenue. Hagadone should personally attend workshops and explain to residents how they will benefit from a project to replace two concrete blocks of Sherman Avenue with a beautiful garden. Above all, he should address concerns that his garden will block access to City Park and City Beach and that motorists will lose a postcard view of the waterfront.

Done correctly, the combination of the resort, the waterfront, a memorial garden of three-plus acres, City Beach and City Park will be an irresistible draw for visitors and locals alike. Other communities, including Spokane, can only envy the investment Hagadone wants to make.

At this point, it makes sense for the City Council to head in the direction of a public vote. Since Hagadone’s plans were announced, the council has been bombarded with requests for an advisory vote. Gauging the intensity of the reaction, Coeur d’Alene voters probably wouldn’t support closing Sherman Avenue for a garden – even a unique, beautiful one – now. But that doesn’t mean city residents couldn’t be sold on the idea in time.

Hagadone has transformed the Coeur d’Alene waterfront with a huge investment of money, beginning with the retrofit of Templin’s resort into The Coeur d’Alene Resort in the mid-1980s. He plans to pour many more millions into the north shore, with projects stretching from Blackwell Island to Silver Beach. Most admit his projects are top-notch. A memorial garden would be, too.