Fernan Tower plans propose tall order

Five years ago, the Coeur d’Alene Resort was the only tall building in North Idaho – looming solitarily against a backdrop of water and mountains. Now, others are vying for a piece of the sky.

Charter Builders LLC, of Meridian, Idaho, unveiled plans this week for a mixed-use tower in Fernan Village. Fernan Tower, as proposed, could reach 30 stories, or 300 feet in height, which would make it one of the Inland Northwest’s tallest high-rises.

Height is critical to the tower’s design, because the building site on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive abuts Interstate 90, said Shawn Harriman, a principal in Charter Builders.

“We have to get up 60 feet before we get over the top of the freeway,” he said. But from there, the views would be stunning for the tower’s 115 condo units, Harriman said, with sunrises over Lake Fernan to the east and Lake Coeur d’Alene sunsets to the west. “The freeway noise goes away as we get taller, and we can sound-proof the building,” he said.

Harriman said the proposed tower has a slender profile, designed to preserve views and minimize impacts on the skyline. The exact height of the building is still under discussion and could range from 20 to 30 stories, he said.

The city of Fernan Village has no height restrictions, but discussion of the project comes just as neighboring Coeur d’Alene debates a building height ordinance. Fernan Tower would be located just outside Coeur d’Alene’s city limits.

“I think this will be a wake-up call to people,” said John Bruning, chairman of the Coeur d’Alene City Planning Commission. “That could have been proposed downtown.”

Encouraging condo and apartment construction downtown is actually one of the city of Coeur d’Alene’s goals. In the mid-1990s, the City Council increased downtown zoning densities to spur multifamily development. A vibrant residential community, the council figured, was key to viable shops and restaurants, safe streets at night and other aspects of downtown revitalization.

“All of a sudden it’s here,” said Bruning, noting that several other residential tower projects are in the planning phases. Nationally, “the return to downtown living is very real, and this is part of it.”

The building height debate, Bruning said, comes as the city seeks to balance desired housing development against the protection of views. Coeur d’Alene has hired a Seattle architect to help draft a building heights ordinance. In March, a revised draft will be out for public review.

“We need to make sure that the buildings aren’t so large and so bulky that they block out the mountain and lake views that make downtown so desirable,” Bruning said. “We want to have our cake and eat it, too.”

The emergence of towers reflects brisk demand for luxury living near downtown amenities.

Miller Stauffer Architects was the first to test the market in North Idaho, with the 14-story McEwen Terrace in downtown Coeur d’Alene. When construction on the project started in 2000, “a lot of people thought it was pretty risky,” Dick Stauffer, a principal in the firm, said in an interview last year.

The success of McEwen Terrace prompted Miller Stauffer to break ground on The Parkside, a 20-story tower across the street. The Parkside won’t open until late 2007, but buyers are already lined up for each of the tower’s 53 condo units, whose prices start at $427,000. Retail and office space is also planned for the tower, along with a “green roof” incorporating natural plantings to reduce heating and cooling costs.

Other projects include “609 Sherman,” an eight-story mixed-use tower on Sherman Avenue, which recently received a city building permit, and the possibility of a 20-story tower on a lot that Black Rock developer Marshall Chesrown owns on Northwest Boulevard. Chesrown was circulating drawings of the project last spring, though a spokesman recently said it “was just a proposal.”

Charter Builders envisions a continuing demand for luxury condos in the area, Harriman said.

“I’m a fifth-generation Idaho boy, and when I pick up the Wall Street Journal and read that Coeur d’Alene will be in the top three (real estate) markets, it’s definitely an indicator,” he said.

Fernan Tower’s fate, however, depends on whether the project can get water and sewer service from the city of Coeur d’Alene. Fernan Village has agreements for water and sewer service from Coeur d’Alene, said Fernan Mayor Pat Acuff. However, a project the size of Fernan Tower would require upgrades in the system, he said.

The proposed tower site is currently the home of Monte Vista Motel. Charter Builders has a contract to purchase the property, contingent on the availability of water and sewer service, Harriman said.

The leap – on drawing pad, anyway – from aging motel to high rise reflects the growing affluence of the community, and the interest in vacation homes here.

“You wonder how many of these will be here for the summer only,” Bruning said.

Protection of lake views is a perennial topic for local residents, noted Scott Reed, a long-time resident, activist and local attorney. “We went through this a long time back. We wanted to protect our views and vistas, and so we adopted our shoreline ordinance.”

Put into law in 1982, the law establishes setbacks for buildings on the waterfront.

“At the time, the concern wasn’t 13-story buildings, it was three-story buildings,” Reed said.

Now the issue has moved to heights.

“You wonder what kind of sequoia is going to go up next to you,” he said.