Quest proposing new Canfield project

Quest Development is proposing another 107 homes on Canfield Mountain and intends to donate 50 acres of parkland to Coeur d’Alene, which city officials see as key to providing a public corridor connecting the project to thousand of acres of U.S. Forest Service land.

The Hayden company must first ask the city to annex the nearly 162 acres, which is accessed from Thomas Lane. The property is just east of Quest’s controversial Copper Ridge development, which the city approved in 2005 after months of negotiations with neighbors.

Quest is currently going through the pre-application process with the city and can’t make a formal proposal until after May 30.

City Planner John Stamsos said city staff is concerned with the proposed roads in The Ridge at Canfield project and whether firetrucks and emergency vehicles have adequate access. The development would have only two entrances off Thomas Lane. The city also wants more information on a proposed water tower and how many of the homes would trigger the city’s rules governing homes on steep slopes.

Neighbors share those concerns about the roads and fire danger in addition to questioning how the company can put so many homes on the steep hillside.

“When I saw it I was shocked,” said Cheryl Nowoj, who is working with the Canfield Mountain Alliance group that initially opposed Copper Ridge but in the end compromised with developers Greg Snyder and Fred LeClair. The city touted the relationship as a model for how neighbors and developers should communicate.

Nowoj, who lives off Thomas Lane, said so far the developers haven’t discussed the project with neighbors.

Quest attorney Steve Wetzel said those meetings will happen after a formal application is made to the city. He’s not surprised by some initial opposition. He added that the company is working on an emergency exit road and other concerns presented by the city in the preliminary discussions.

“Those people who live in the area of development always presume the worst,” Wetzel said. “It’s pretty difficult for any neighborhood next to a new development to be happy about it.”

He reiterated that Quest is trying to protect a portion of Canfield Mountain, a local landmark.

“We want to form one massive protection of the mountain that would go all the way to Forest Service property,” he said.

Quest donated 24 acres of open space in the 40-lot Copper Ridge development to the city. This new project could potentially provide the city another 50 acres that shares 100 feet with the previously donated land.

Coeur d’Alene Parks Director Doug Eastwood said the goal is to build a trail system on the west face of Canfield Mountain that would connect with public lands. He sees it as a 75-acre natural park that the city has dreamed of securing for 20 years.

“It gives us a good piece of Canfield Mountain,” Eastwood said. “I think it’s very significant.”

The challenge is ensuring that the parkland donated by Quest isn’t too steep, he said. The property also was heavily logged by owner Marvin Erickson. Quest has the option to buy the land from Erickson if the city approves annexation, Wetzel said. The southern section of land that adjoins Thomas Lane is owned by the Hedberg Family, Wetzel said.

Eastwood said the city must work with the developers to come up with a cleanup and revegetation plan. He said it may be possible to reclaim some of the logging roads or narrow them for hiking trails but those details aren’t currently known.

Since taking over the 24 acres in Copper Ridge, the city’s urban forestry committee has evaluated the health of the trees and asked the Forest Service to comment on the best way to switch-back the trails so they aren’t so steep. Eastwood said he’s recommending that no motorized vehicles, such as dirt bikes, be allowed in the park. He’s also evaluating whether mountain bikes will be allowed.

“We have to look at compatibility,” he said.