Time crunch makes issues a meetings double-feature

Whether the topic is discussing the height of downtown buildings or what programs the Kroc community center should have, Coeur d’Alene residents have their pick of meetings Dec. 14.

Because both issues are on a fast track, the city was forced to conduct separate workshops on the same night.

Mayor Sandi Bloem said the times are staggered so it’s possible for people to catch portions of both meetings.

“Ideally, it’s not the best,” Bloem said about the scheduling. “Both things are kind of in a crunch and the date worked.”

Consultants hired by the city to hash out a proposal for restricting building heights in downtown will make a 5 p.m. presentation at First Presbyterian Church, 521 E. Lakeside Ave.

At 6 p.m., the city is sponsoring a workshop at Coeur d’Alene High School to find out what programs people would want at the Kroc community center, should one be built in Coeur d’Alene. The types of programming would help determine the center’s design and how the Salvation Army could fund it over the years.

Bloem said the building height presentation will enable people to actually see what downtown would look like under the proposed rules. Then people can comment on what they like and dislike about the plan, which would restrict building heights to 75 feet, or about six stories. In some cases, buildings could go as high as 160 feet – about 14 stories – if developers agree to incorporate features that would benefit the public.

“We want to get this as right as we can,” Bloem said.

In November, the Coeur d’Alene City Council called off a public hearing on the matter, just hours before the meeting was to start.

Several developers and property owners expressed concern that the height proposals were moving too fast with no input from stakeholders. The council agreed people needed more time to understand the complex concept, which aims to transform downtown into an urban core that mixes businesses with high-density living space, such as condominiums and apartments.

Coeur d’Alene wants to encourage high-rise buildings while protecting the city’s views of the nearby mountains, Tubbs Hill and Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Plans to restrict building heights to 75 feet in all of Coeur d’Alene’s commercial areas, including along Northwest Boulevard, East Sherman Avenue, the U.S. Highway 95 corridor and Best Avenue, are on hold until a decision is made on the downtown core.

Bloem said the city needs to move quickly, and perhaps study the areas outside downtown as well.

The community center meeting is needed to help the Salvation Army make a priority list for the center and decide which programs are affordable.

The programming will drive the design process and help architects choose the look of the building, whose proposed location is on Ramsey Road. Coeur d’Alene won’t know until probably April whether it will get a Kroc Center.

McDonald’s heiress Joan B. Kroc bestowed $1.5 billion on the Salvation Army – the largest donation ever given to a charity – to build community centers across the country. The centers are modeled after the $57 million Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in San Diego. The one in Coeur d’Alene is expected to cost $29 million to build.

Bloem said an aquatics center is definitely a top need for Coeur d’Alene. But, she said, the center needs versatility so several programs can use the same space. For example, many people have indicated interest in an indoor soccer area. Bloem wants to know what other things could be done in that same room.

If Coeur d’Alene is selected for a Kroc Center, the grant would come with a matching endowment – also up to $29 million – to help pay about 30 percent of annual maintenance and operation costs. The remainder would come from memberships, user fees, donations and other grants.

The key is making sure the building is self-sustaining so it doesn’t cost the Salvation Army money. The Kroc Center in San Diego, which has 280 full-time employees, three pools, an ice-skating rink, numerous gyms and a 600-seat performing arts center, is losing money

“It’s possible to build a center,” Bloem said. “The real challenge is to build a center that pays for itself.”