Panel delivers height ordinance

Downtown Coeur d’Alene developers could construct buildings up to 75 feet tall – and in some cases go as high as 160 feet – if they agree to incorporate features that would benefit the public, an advisory committee recommended Thursday.

The Downtown Regulations Committee also wants a temporary restriction on building heights in commercial areas outside the downtown core, such as along the Spokane River, until a study is done. No specific height was recommended for the temporary restriction, but the committee agreed that 75 feet, or about six stories, was a good target.Coeur d’Alene officials want to transform downtown into an urban core that mixes businesses with high-density living, such as condominiums and apartments. That means allowing towers with retail and office space on the lower levels and residences on top. Yet city leaders don’t want to compromise the town’s views of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Tubbs Hill and the surrounding hillsides.

In May, the City Council rejected a recommendation by the Planning Commission to put a temporary moratorium on downtown heights until Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architects could study the relationship between building heights and view corridors.

The council thought the word “moratorium” might scare developers, but it did put the creation of a height ordinance for the central business district on a fast track.

Since then, Hinshaw has worked with the Downtown Regulations Committee, which finalized its recommendation Thursday. The Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the proposal Nov. 8. The City Council will make the final decision on the downtown height restrictions, and decide whether to impose the temporary height restriction in other areas.

Under the committee’s recommendation, developers could construct buildings taller than 75 feet – perhaps up to 14 stories or about 160 feet – if they follow detailed rules on the bulk of the tower and how far it’s spaced from other high-rises.

To get extra height, the developer would have to include features that would benefit the public, such as retail space, public plazas, or public art. They could also donate money to the city’s park fund or give to a library, museum or other cultural attraction.

Committee member Brad Jordan, a local Realtor and planning commission member, said the proposed rules would protect Coeur d’Alene’s views and character.

Current downtown buildings average about four stories. To keep that feeling and make the towers seem less dominating, the committee recommended that any building taller than 45 feet would have to have its upper floors set back at least 20 feet.

Committee member Jim Elder said it’s important to keep the tallest buildings within the downtown core, the place where Coeur d’Alene is encouraging high-density urban development.

“Riverstone and Blackwell Island will compete with the downtown,” Elder said of two developments along the Spokane River. “We don’t want to discourage people (from building downtown) or push them away to these other areas.”

The committee said a temporary height restriction in the commercial areas outside the downtown core would prevent any 20-story buildings from popping up while the study is under way.

Members also were concerned about preserving historic buildings downtown, where high-rises are already going up. Construction will soon begin on the 18-story Parkside tower at the corner of Seventh and Front streets. A seven-story condominium on Sherman Avenue also is in the works.

Hinshaw said that if the city approves the height rules it must be extra vigilant in protecting the historic downtown buildings because there will be pressure to tear them down to build towers.

“You need a mechanism to protect them,” he said.