Developers plans being considered
Post Falls will grow north and east and the city must prepare to annex land near Prairie Avenue and Highway 41, but must do so cautiously, Post Falls city councilors said Tuesday night. They gave developers of two large sites in that area the go-ahead to continue the annexation process.
City councilors stopped short of guaranteeing Phillips Edison and Hayden LLC that their requests will ultimately be granted, but instructed staff to work with the developers and report back to the council in June.
Councilors cautioned that they want the city’s Smart Code development plan, wastewater treatment plan and economic analysis of the potential annexations to be completed before the annexations move forward any further.
“It’s not a done deal, but it is the next step,” said Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin.
Phillips Edison is proposing a 277-acre residential and commercial development at Highway 41, just north of Prairie Avenue. Hayden LLC is looking to build the 283-acre Foxtail housing development nearby. The city of Post Falls has twice in the past turned down the Foxtail annexation.
City Planner Collin Coles told the city council that the Phillips Edison property is not included in the city’s current comprehensive plan and that annexing it might be premature until that plan is updated.
“It’s kind of like going to the doctor and getting the medicine and then figuring out what’s wrong with you,” Coles said.
Earlier in the evening the council approved a contract with a Colorado consultant to create a fiscal analysis model to determine if potential annexations will create an economic benefit for Post Falls or cost more in extending services than they generate in taxes.
“We need to know where we are prior to annexation,” Coles said.
Some councilors expressed concerns about whether Highway 41 could handle the additional traffic that the two proposed developments would create. The Idaho Transportation Department has no money set aside to widen the highway.
Still Councilor Scott Grant said Post Falls must acknowledge the area will be within its city limits some day.
“This is going to be a logical extension,” Grant said, adding, “I want to see a few more answers before we proceed to the public hearings” on annexation.
The two developers are now working together on wastewater issues for their projects, said Brad Marshall, of JUB Engineers which is managing the Phillips Edison project.
“We believe the annexation and the ultimate development of the projects is beneficial to the community,” Marshall said after the council’s decision.