Land use proposal questioned
STATELINE – David and Beth Tysdal, new owners of the 82-acre farm that straddles the Idaho-Washington border at 3866 S. Stateline Road, say the large white barn on their more-than 100-year-old farm would be a perfect wedding site for an informal ceremony, and they want to offer it as such to the public. While some neighbors are glad to see the countryside preserved instead of being sold for another subdivision, others worry about the possible consequences and wonder what the “commercial resort” designation might lead to under the Tysdals’ conditional use permit application.
“We share their passion for retaining the beauty of this valley, and we want to retain that,” said Beth Tysdal, 29, during a tour of the barn. “We basically believe this is the best use of the land. We’re going to fix it up and make it as original as we can. Our plan is to turn it into an upscale wedding facility.”
Being able to offer a place like the 4,748-square-foot, two-story barn as a marriage site has been a longtime dream for Beth Tysdal. With more than 4,000 weddings in the Kootenai County area every year, she explained, there aren’t many options for couples looking to have an outdoor, countryside ceremony.
“People come and expect to be married out in nature like this, but there isn’t a whole lot available,” she said.
But the proposal has some neighbors concerned, according to some of the opponents’ statements on file in the notice of public hearing records. They include increased noise from traffic and parties; the possibility that parties would add drunken drivers on a road that already sees few law enforcement patrols; and the potential that the permit might allow for more than just the weddings outlined in the Tysdals’ project statement.
The Tysdals said they cannot waver from that outline, which reads “to hold weddings and special events in a historic barn and surrounding acreage.”
The Tysdals’ plan calls for restoring the barn to its original state and remodeling the adjacent house into a five-bedroom bed and breakfast. To meet building code requirements, among other updates, their driveway and farm entrance would need to be widened, high-traffic grass would need to be planted in a nearby field for parking and a round-a-bout would need to be added adjacent to the barn. The couple hopes to have the place up and running by 2010.
However, in order to carry through with their proposal, their rural-zoned property needs to be granted a conditional use permit, though it will stay within its original rural zoning. As for the “commercial resort” title, it’s the only category they could apply under, the Tysdals added, and it’s created a lot of confusion.
“We’re zoned rural, and we’re going to keep it that. It’s just a general term that doesn’t mean anything,” David Tysdal said. And, his wife added, “It’s not going to be the next Silverwood; it’s not possible. It has to be exactly as we outlined in the statement.”
To minimize the noise, hours of operation would be mainly on the weekends during the summer months and all receptions would be held inside the barn, with all events ending no later than 10 p.m.
“The majority of the impact is just a few months out of the year,” Beth Tysdal said.
Though a public hearing has been scheduled for later this month, some in the area aren’t waiting to speak out. Of the letters of support, one from a Coeur d’Alene resident read: “This is a great opportunity to preserve this farm property rather than seeing it turned into a subdivision with two or three cars to every house – It would keep the beauty of the property while bringing in business to the Post Falls area.”
A letter of opposition from a resident who lives nearby the Tysdal’s property along South Stateline Road read: “While the number of residents has increased, the area remains agricultural and residential. Granting a conditional use permit for a ‘commercial resort’ would fundamentally change the character of the area and threaten the tranquility, health and safety of area residents.”