High-rises a good idea if regulated

The unanimous decision by the Coeur d’Alene City Council to oppose a moratorium on downtown high-rises is understandable.

After all, every council member knows how hard downtown business owners and landlords have struggled to survive economically as the town grew northward. No one has been more involved in the revitalization of the central business district than Mayor Sandi Bloem, who owns a downtown jewelry store and spearheaded the reconstruction of Sherman Avenue about 15 years ago. As recently as a couple of years ago, vacant storefronts dotted downtown.

No one wants to stop the current downtown momentum. One high-rise successfully opened in recent years and two more are in the planning stage, not counting the proposed second tower for Duane Hagadone’s Coeur d’Alene Resort. Councilman Ben Wolfinger equated the positive shift in downtown dynamics to a train chugging uphill: The train looks like it’ll make it to the top and coast downhill, but it could slide backward if it stops, even for a short period.

Using that same analogy, however, there is another possibility – the train could steam out of control once it crests the mountain. By eschewing a temporary moratorium to manage construction of downtown high-rises, the Coeur d’Alene council is gambling that it can adopt changes before the community is forced to live with an unpalatable proposal. To minimize the chance of that happening, the council should follow through on its promise to study height regulations, even without a moratorium.

Unquestionably, high-rises are a key component of saving downtown Coeur d’Alene.

For years, downtown businesses have stayed afloat by attracting summer and Christmas traffic. High-rise condominiums and a new state-of-the-art library adjacent to McEuen Field will help attract clientele to make it easier for current businesses to endure and prosper during the non-tourist seasons and to create a demand for new businesses.

By rejecting a moratorium, city officials have forced themselves into the role of beggar rather than chooser.

With reasonable regulations in place, the city could prevent an unattractive wall-to-wall high-rise effect with mismatched building facades that could block view corridors and unsettle residents and visitors. As it stands, the city has little leverage to wring concessions and public amenities from developers of downtown high-rises. The Shoreline Protection Ordinance provides the only height restriction on downtown construction now. No building can be more than 20 feet tall within 150 feet of the shore.

Ironically, about 25 years ago, a proposal for two high-rise condominiums at the current location of The Coeur d’Alene Resort turned Coeur d’Alene politics on their head. By playing fast and loose with the waterfront, the council of the day enabled an environmentally conscious foursome to control city government and planning for four years. Such a revolution probably won’t happen as a result of the vote against the high-rise moratorium – unless the lack of regulations attracts a rogue project.