Luxury development gets public zoning hearing
The public can comment today on a request to rezone 300 acres near Harrison, Idaho, as part of plans for a mega golf retreat and luxury housing development overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Powderhorn Ranch LLC is asking Kootenai County to change the classification of the northern portion of its nearly 2,000 acres from agricultural to rural, which would allow construction of one home per 5 acres. Eventually the Seattle-based company wants to build perhaps three golf courses and up to 1,300 homes and condos.
The request is separate from a previous comprehensive plan amendment and zoning proposals on the property that are now part of a court appeal. In October 2006 Neighbors for Responsible Growth, the Kootenai Environmental Alliance and four families living near Powderhorn Bay appealed the county commission’s initial decision to amend the growth plan. The case is now with the Idaho Supreme Court. Many of the same critics oppose the current zone change request, arguing that the project doesn’t fit with the area’s rural nature.
Meanwhile the Seattle-based company continues to negotiate with nearby Harrison to include the property in the city limits, making it unnecessary for Powderhorn to get approval from Kootenai County. If the annexation is approved, it could become the largest in the county’s history and potentially increase the waterfront town’s population of 270 people by 10 times.
The Harrison City Council voted in November to move ahead with Powderhorn’s pre-annexation application.