Building limits will get more study

Nobody seemed too happy Wednesday night with Coeur d’Alene’s proposed rules to limit the height and girth of downtown buildings, causing the city’s Planning Commission to declare more work is needed.

“This is the most important piece of legislation we’ve worked on,” Chairman John Brunning said.

The commission will meet again Tuesday to mull over changes that could make the rules more palatable to more people, whether it’s the town’s wealthiest developers or residents in nearby neighborhoods. The City Council will have the final say.

About 40 people attended the first public hearing on the draft that’s been in the works for nearly a year. Most of the commentary was from developers and architects, the majority of whom dislike the proposal—fearing it could backfire and actually kill downtown Coeur d’Alene’s economy.

Robert Provost, who represented the owner of the Liberty Block, was one of the few people to applaud the proposal because it gives more certainty to what type of building is allowed downtown.

Tom Anderson, who lives on Coeur d’Alene Avenue, gave the commission more than 100 signatures he collected from people living in downtown residential neighborhoods who oppose the idea because they don’t want any towers.

“Tall buildings are out of character for our small town,” Anderson said.

The proposal would allow developers to build up to 75 feet tall. In some cases the towers could hit 160 feet, or about 14 stories, if developers agree to incorporate features that would benefit the public.

To get approval for a building closer in height to the landmark downtown Coeur d’Alene Resort, which is 216 feet, developers would have to donate cash for city parks, the library, museum or theater. That idea is causing concern with some people who feel it kowtows to the rich.

Current downtown buildings average about four stories. To keep that feeling and to make the towers seem less dominating, the proposal recommends that any building taller than 45 feet would have to have its upper floors set back at least 20 feet. The setbacks would allow people on street level to still see the lake and mountains in the open space between the towers.

Prominent local real estate agent John Beutler and representatives of Hagadone Hospitality, which owns the Coeur d’Alene Resort, fear the rules are too restrictive and would hurt any attempts to vitalize downtown Coeur d’Alene.

“You are sending the wrong message,” Beutler said.

One of developers’ largest problems with the rules is how they would limit smaller lots in the downtown area, making them almost unbuildable because proposed setbacks would severely limit the amount of square footage.

The commission acknowledged that it must do more research to see if that’s really true.

“It gives the impression of being really restrictive,” Commissioner Heather Bowlby said.

At the heart of the plan is a formula based on the size of the lot and the number of square feet it can support. That translates into the number of stories.

The ratio gives developers the ability to use more creativity and flexibility when designing downtown buildings.

The city wants to encourage these high-rise buildings while protecting the city’s views of the nearby mountains, Tubbs Hill and Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The new rules would encourage a mix of residential property downtown, not just the current trend for high-rises with large, top-dollar condominiums.

At a noon workshop with the Planning Commission, City Council and the city’s urban renewal agency, consultant Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architects in Seattle said Coeur d’Alene is typical of growing towns that are seeing tower proposals. The first wave is always luxury condominiums then over time the market balances out, and there is demand for less expensive apartments.

“Now you just have a monoculture—one type of person,” Hinshaw said.

Monte Miller of Miller Stauffer Architects agreed, saying his 18-story Parkside tower that is under construction would have been less expensive under these proposed rules and could have had smaller units and more of them. Currently, luxury condos are the only way to pay for a tower, he said.

The Planning Commission will meet 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 710 E. Mullan Ave.