Ministry gets permit for prairie campus

The largest church in the Inland Northwest is getting a new location on the Rathdrum Prairie after the Kootenai County Commission approved the project Thursday, saying it wouldn’t jeopardize sewer plans or the aquifer.

In a 2-1 vote, the commission agreed to give Real Life Ministries a conditional-use permit to build a new campus that eventually would include a 3,500-seat worship center and nine other buildings for a total of 458,000 square feet.

Commission Chairman Rick Currie opposed the decision, arguing that the county should wait to approve the 116-acre project east of state Highway 41 until a sewer study for the prairie is complete. The cities of Post Falls and Hayden opposed the project for the same reason.

Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin said he was “deeply concerned” and fears the county opened a Pandora’s box that signals to developers they can get large projects approved before the sewer plan is finished. That, he said, would render the $300,000 sewer study useless.

“It would not surprise me, now that they have done this, to see Copper Basin come back for their 700 homes,” Larkin said, referring to a prairie development the county commission denied in March. “This is just the beginning.”

The county also is considering the 280-acre Foxtail housing development that Post Falls refused to annex because of sewer capacity and traffic concerns.

Larkin said he hadn’t yet spoken with the Post Falls city staff or the mayors of Hayden and Rathdrum to discuss a possible appeal of Thursday’s decision.

The sewer master plan study is expected to wrap up by year’s end. It will dictate the size of sewer pipes, their location on the prairie and the placement of lift stations and treatment plants.

Currie said the county signed an agreement with Post Falls, Rathdrum and Hayden not to do anything on prairie land that could hamper sewer collection until the study is finished. Allowing a large church campus, even though he supports the concept, breaks the spirit of that agreement, Currie said.

“The study will be complete in nine months to a year,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a long time to hold off.”

Commissioners Rich Piazza and Todd Tondee said they don’t think the church will harm the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer below the property. The aquifer is the source of drinking water for more than 500,000 people.

“This will not affect the public wastewater system,” said Tondee, a former Post Falls councilman who voted against the city’s wishes. “This will be an asset to the community.”

Tondee and Piazza argued that Real Life has agreed to connect to the sewer once it’s available and that the construction will happen in phases, so the full impact likely won’t occur for 25 years. They also said it’s too big of a community benefit, especially with the offer of public ball fields and recreational spaces, to postpone.

Septic tanks will sustain the facilities until the sewer plan is complete. The Panhandle Health District said the property has the capacity to handle the equivalent of 23 residential septic tanks. The district only allows one septic system on every 5 acres above the aquifer.

Senior Pastor Jim Putman wasn’t available for comment Thursday, but Bill Krause, an executive team member, said the church is elated.

“For us personally we can breathe a little sigh of relief,” Krause said. “There’s hope because we were outgrowing our facility. Now we have an open door to move ahead.”

Krause said a groundbreaking date isn’t yet certain.

The nondenominational Christian church is outgrowing its complex in Post Falls off Cecil Road. About 12,000 people attended Easter services last month. Krause said the congregation has grown by about 2,000 people in the past four months.

The church plans to build a 3,500-seat worship center, children’s ministry, 300-seat chapel, field house and athletic fields. Putman has said he envisions a full-service campus that will benefit Kootenai County, including nonmembers, by providing a large facility for graduations and other public events.

Besides ministry, Real Life provides a large addiction recovery service, as well as food and a thrift store to help struggling families. Putman said the church fed 7,500 families last year.

The new complex is organized around a village green that could include a 2-acre artificial lake, two miles of trails and an amphitheater, in addition to a 3,500-space parking lot.