Development plan moving forward

RATHDRUM – Developers are moving forward with a nearly 45-acre subdivision south of Rathdrum that could bring 159 new homes to the prairie, possibly starting this fall.

Coeur d’Alene-based developer Bower, Herman, Smock LLC proposed the Lancaster Heights subdivision north of Lancaster Avenue and east of Meyer Road – in an area that has seen the bulk of Rathdrum’s growth, city officials said.

City staff is reviewing the application and will schedule a planning and zoning commission hearing likely in June, City Planner Chris Riffe said this week.

The vacant property abuts the Skyline Meadows subdivision and is zoned for single-family homes and duplexes.

“They’re going to provide a lot of homes,” Riffe said. “We’re not sure how many of those lots are going to be duplexes.”

The project proposes a density of about five units per acre, with an average lot size of 8,580 feet, according to the developers’ application to the city.

“They are shooting to make them as affordable as possible,” City Administrator Brett Boyer said of the proposed housing.

In the application, the developer also included a pedestrian tunnel under Meyer, which is projected to become increasingly used, city officials said. The city expects to widen both Meyer and Lancaster in the future.

“With any development, we will look at the pedestrian traffic and have a requirement to have that safe,” Boyer said.

If approved, the developers don’t plan to build out the project in phases, according to the application. The developers said in the application they hope to begin construction this spring or summer and start building homes by this coming fall.

That schedule may be delayed because of time needed to review the application, Riffe said.