Plan still alive for Hayden Canyon development

After nearly seven months of silence, a development proposal that could increase Hayden’s population by one-third is active again.

Hayden Canyon representatives met with neighbors last week to update them on improvements to the proposal that could eventually put 1,800 homes on the 618 acres off Lancaster Road.

Glen Lanker of Artios, a Spokane-based architecture firm that is a partner in the development, said that even though the public hasn’t heard anything in months, the company has worked on many concerns, including traffic and wastewater.

The development company – Hayden TND – has also met with civic clubs and other groups to pitch its dream of a community with “smart growth” principles that would create a place where people can live, work and play without depending on cars or contributing to sprawl.

Lanker hopes to meet with city staff in the next three weeks. After that, he expects the city to reschedule a public hearing before the Hayden City Council.

In January, just days before a public hearing on the project, Lanker asked for an extension.

Lanker said he received the city staff report the Friday before the hearing and needed more time to answer the city’s concerns about traffic and impacts to schools.

Without giving specific details, Lanker said they have found ways to mitigate traffic concerns until an overpass at the intersection of Lancaster Road and U.S. Highway 95 is complete.

Another change, Lanker said, is an on-site wastewater treatment system that wouldn’t tax Hayden’s existing facility. The concept also would ultimately conserve water and protect the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer because the development could use treated effluent for irrigation of the 260 acres of open space, parks and wetlands, he said. Lanker added that it’s a similar system to what Gozzer Ranch, the exclusive golf course community on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene, will use to irrigate its course.

Hayden Community Development Director Lisa Key said the city hasn’t gotten any new information from Hayden Canyon.

“We are still waiting,” Key said.

Lanker said the company is working to address “misconceptions” about the project, and that’s why they once again met with neighbors.

In November, the Hayden Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial of changing the city’s comprehensive plan or including the property in the city limits for fear the development would negatively impact the city.

Many residents applauded the decision, saying Hayden Canyon would destroy their semi-rural lifestyle, increase traffic congestion on already clogged roads and burden local school districts by potentially adding 2,100 students.