New Lost Creek subdivision plan in works

Lost Creek is back.

The 260 acres just west of Rathdrum, which straddles Lost Creek and is in a sensitive aquifer recharge area, has a new owner who has a new plan to build 64 homes.

Norman and Tracy Waldo of Post Falls recently bought the property from Idaho Forest Industries. The Waldos are working with local real estate agent Chuck Hughes to develop Lost Creek Estates.

A Kootenai County Hearing Examiner will have a public hearing Thursday on the proposal.

This is the second go for Lost Creek and once again neighbors are concerned about putting 64 septic tanks and drain fields in such a sensitive area. They also are worried about increased traffic on Idaho Road and state Highway 53.

The property, which is forested and includes large area of wetlands that surround Lost Creek, is north of Highway 53 between Chase and Idaho roads.

IFI first proposed Lost Creek, with plans to put 184 homes on the land along with a 10 million gallon sewage lagoon. The Kootenai County Commission unanimously denied the request in 2002. More than 150 neighbors argued the high-density subdivision would ruin their rural lifestyle.

This new plan is to put 64 homes on the property with an “emphasis on providing a rural residential character.”

The homes will sit on lots ranging from less than an acre to 5.76 acres. Initially, Hughes wanted all the homes on lots smaller than 2 acres but reconfigured the design plan in June after Panhandle Health District raised concerns about septic systems over the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which is the sole drinking water source for 400,000 people. The district requires all homes with septic systems that sit over the aquifer to be on at least 5 acres.

Now two of the lots in the southeast corner that is directly over the aquifer would be on at least 5 acres.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality also must ensure that sewage disposal won’t have any impact on ground water quality.

A community water system would provide drinking water to the homes. In a July 8 staff report, county planners said the developer must provide any draft homeowners association rules outlining who has responsibility for maintaining the water system. DEQ wants the developer to provide an engineering report for the drinking water system, and the county wants to see well logs to make sure water to the property is adequate. County staff also requested that the developer submit a wetland study and stormwater plans.

About 160 acres of the land, including the creek and wetlands, would be left as open space. The county said the plan doesn’t mention who would be responsible for maintaining the area.

The property is also in a federal flood zone, meaning that building is restricted to areas outside the Area of Special Flood Hazard and that the developer must show the flood boundaries on the site map.

Two people sent comments to the county opposing the Lost Creek development, while one person said they supported the project.

Jim McCoy, who lives on Idaho Road, is worried about how the development would affect his well.

“In the summer my well cannot efficiently supply water for my needs, and if more wells draw down the supply, I would be in trouble,” McCoy wrote.

When IFI proposed the project, neighbors formed the group Save Lost Creek, headed by Claudia Agate. She said the group is still together but quieter this time because they are waiting to see what the hearing examiner recommends. She is opposed to all developers who try to put subdivisions in rural areas of Kootenai County.

“You have 100,000 places you can go develop where the infrastructure is already there,” Agate said. “Why do they constantly have to turn the county into a city?”

The 6 p.m. hearing will be at the Kootenai County Administration Building, 451 Government Way. For more information, call 446-1070.