Coeur d’Alene rezones NIC campus to protect educational use

As North Idaho College awaits a final decision on its accreditation status, Coeur d’Alene City Council stepped in to prevent a possible worst-case scenario sell-off of the campus for private development.

The council unanimously approved a new university zoning district for properties in and around NIC Tuesday night, requiring the land be used in support of public higher education.

The campus on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the mouth of the Spokane River was rezoned from residential and commercial designations. The university district was modeled on other towns with similar zoning for colleges, such as the University of Idaho in Moscow, city staff said.

NIC has been in danger of losing its accreditation since its accreditor sanctioned the college in 2022 for board governance dysfunction. NIC submitted a progress report last week and expects a final decision from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities early next year.

Councilman Dan Gookin, a vocal critic of NIC’s board of trustees, said that citizens had asked the city what it could do to help the college.

“We looked through our entire tool chest and this is what we came up with,” Gookin said. “We can make sure that property will always be used for public higher education, no matter what screwy things go on over there.”

Councilwoman Christie Wood, a former NIC trustee who resigned in protest in 2022, said that even without the accreditation issues, the previous zoning could allow NIC trustees to sell some of its beachfront properties to pay for something like a new sports complex.

“This zoning to me makes perfect sense,” Wood said. “As a community, we protect this asset for public education.”

NIC spokesman Tom Greene said the college is not concerned about the change and their legal counsel believes it will not affect any operations.

The university district prohibits industrial and commercial activities not directly associated with education, and residential developments not intended for student or faculty housing. Commercial partnerships are permitted if part of an educational program.

Retail, restaurants and other services are allowed if they are meant to serve the student population.

Wood said the zoning district was designed to allow current and future uses.

“My goal all along was never to hinder the college in their mission whatsoever,” Wood said. “They have to be able to adapt to whatever is coming their way in the next 50 to 100 years.”

Gookin clarified a misconception that the change is a “takings” or eminent domain.

“We are not taking anything from NIC,” he said.

The zoning is compatible with a planned unit development NIC obtained from the city in 2011. A 50-year development plan for the area of campus north of River Avenue could include parking garages, academic buildings, a shared education building with partner institutions, improved landscaping and athletic facilities.

The city planning and zoning commission recommend a map that excluded a mix of NIC-owned and private properties on Military Drive and two private properties along Hubbard Avenue.

Gookin initially proposed including just the NIC properties on Military Drive. After some discussion, the council decided to also include the private properties to make the borders neat and to prevent the need to rezone them in the future.

Although they are included in the university district, the private properties are not subject to the ordinance’s use and performance standards unless they are sold to NIC or another public higher education institution.

Public comments in a hearing before the decision overwhelmingly supported the zoning.

Mike Gridley, a former city attorney who privately sued NIC to correct public meeting violations, said the nice things about Coeur d’Alene are the results of elected bodies in the past making good choices.

“NIC is run by a board of five people. A majority of three makes the decisions,” Gridley said. “If they are corrupt, if they are influenced by outsiders, if they are interested in lining their pockets or somebody else’s – today, tomorrow, 10 years from now, 50 years from now – the public loses. And the only protection we have is taking steps like you’re taking right now.”

Christa Hazel, founder of Save NIC, an organization advocating for better governance amid the accreditation crisis, said the council is the last line of defense.

“By approving the zoning, you are showing what real leadership looks like,” Hazel said. “Right now, we need that more than ever.”

Geoff Harvey, a former resident of Coeur d’Alene, also praised the decision.

“The college is a terrific educational resource that needs to be protected,” Harvey said. “But it’s something more than that. It’s part of the heart of this town, it’s part of the coeur of Coeur d’Alene. And I don’t mean C-O-R-E, I mean C-O-E-U-R – the heart of this town.”