CdA height-limit hearing canceled

Wanting to give property owners more time to study a proposal for downtown building height limits, the Coeur d’Alene City Council called off Tuesday’s public hearing just hours before it was to start.

The council instead wants to have a December workshop where downtown property owners can ask questions of the consultants hired to come up with the proposal. No date has been set.

Plans to restrict building heights to 75 feet or about six stories 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.

Under the proposal, downtown developers could construct buildings up to 75 feet tall – and in some cases go as high as 160 feet, or about 14 stories – if they agree to incorporate features that would benefit the public.

The idea is to transform downtown into an urban core that mixes businesses with high-density living, 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.

The council decided to cancel the Planning Commission public hearings on both the downtown and commercial area plans after having a workshop Tuesday afternoon.

Several developers and property owners expressed concern to the council that the height proposals were moving too fast with no input from stakeholders.

“It’s obviously a thoughtful study but as major community developers and stakeholders in city of Coeur d’Alene, we just want an opportunity to study and understand it,” said Mike Tilford, development manager for Riverstone West.

Council President Dixie Reid agreed the city was moving too fast.

“We didn’t mean to leave anybody out,” Reid said.