Ruling calls for new Canfield application

Marvin Erickson made too many substantial changes in his plan to build homes on Canfield Mountain and should submit a new application to Kootenai County, a hearing examiner ruled this week.

Erickson revised plans for the upscale Erickson Estates in March, scaling back the number of homes to nine and creating lots in areas not included in the original proposal. Hearing examiner Gary Young said these changes were significant and that Planning Director Rand Wichman was correct in asking Erickson to submit a new application.

The County Commission will make a final decision. No hearing has been scheduled yet.

Besides appealing Wichman’s decision, Erickson also is suing the county. He claims Wichman had no grounds to boot the proposal and that the county is trying to force Erickson to build under the county’s new subdivision rules.

The new rules, adopted in December, would make it more expensive for Erickson to develop the land surrounding his Canfield Mountain home, said Scott Poorman, Erickson’s attorney. The stricter rules also may make it more difficult for Erickson to get county approval, he said.

“All these excuses are a smoke screen,” Poorman said Thursday. “The bottom line is Rand Wichman doesn’t have the authority to kick anyone out of process,” regardless of what changes are made.

Wichman was on vacation Thursday and unavailable for comment but said in previous interviews that he stood behind his move to withdraw Erickson’s application because of the modifications and the fact that the planning department hadn’t gotten any new information from Erickson for 19 months.

Poorman said Erickson did respond to the county’s request for more information and turned in a revised version in March. He said the county is now punishing Erickson for modifying the plan, as requested.

Erickson gained notoriety in 1999 when he built his house and a Z-shaped road up the face of Canfield. The proposed Erickson Estates development would use the same road.