The Coeur d'Alene Press - Local News, Hatred of Fieldstone apartment proposal intensifies

Fieldstone residents demand rejection of 208-unit complex in their subdivision

POST FALLS — Nearly 50 people attended Tuesday's city council meeting, many to ask the city to reconsider a 208-unit apartment complex in the Fieldstone subdivision.

“I am fairly certain I know why many of you are here tonight,” said Mayor Ron Jacobson at the beginning of the public comment period, adding he welcomed their input. “However, the council cannot act on the issue because it is not on the agenda.”

Fieldstone resident Taj Wilkerson, who was elected to speak on behalf of the Save Our Subdivision organization, told the council his neighbors understand that change and growth in Post falls is inevitable, but they felt it is the council’s role to make sure growth is well thought out.

“Many of the people who bought houses were led to believe that there would be no apartments,” he said, adding he didn’t believe the public was well notified before the developer was granted city permission to build the apartments.

“I have 219 signatures from people who oppose the project,” Wilkerson said, adding had they been better informed of the planning commission meeting where the apartments were approved, the outcome might have been different.

He asked the council to consider holding its own hearing on the project, which is already at the beginning stages of construction.

see APARTMENTS, A2

APARTMENTS

from A1

Attorney Suzanne Graham, who lives in the Fieldstone neighborhood, also testified, saying the people living in the subdivision have been defrauded.

Graham said the people who bought homes in the neighborhood were shown brochures that did not include eight three-story apartment complexes in the subdivision.

Graham also questioned whether proper impact studies were done on the amount of traffic the apartments would generate and whether the local roads could handle that.

She said the neighborhood group is discussing the possibility of hiring its own land-use planner to review the project to ensure it was done correctly.

Meanwhile, she said, the contractor building the apartments is “racing” forward with the project. She, along with almost every person that spoke on the issue, asked the council to hold a hearing to reconsider the project.

Several homeowners testified that they had been led to believe that area of the neighborhood would be developed as a small commercial district.

“That area was supposed to be commercial with little mom-and-pop shops,” said Bob Flowers, who lives in the area. “There were no apartments planned for that area.”

Wilkerson and several others also said the three-story apartments will be the tallest buildings in Post Falls, and one resident said if they are allowed to be built, her view will be be apartment buildings instead of the sunsets she enjoyed when she purchased the property.

At the end of the testimony, Jacobson thanked the homeowners for their testimony and closed the comment period. It was unclear if the council would consider holding a hearing of its own on the project.

In other business, the council approved a rezone request for 8.25 acres that used to house Quad Park on the northeast corner of Mullan Avenue and North Cecil Road. The request, which was presented by Steve Syrcle from Tri-State Consulting Engineers, was to change the zoning on the property from light commercial to R-3, which would allow high density residential apartment to be built.

The council voted unanimously to approve the rezone with nobody testifying against it. The property could now be developed up to 18 units per acre, or 21 units per acre if the developer builds townhouse style multi-family housing units.

The council also gave City Parks Director Dave Fair the green light to begin negotiating a land swap deal with the developers of the Tullamore Subdivision on the northwest corner of the intersection at Highway 41 and Poleline Avenue. For more details on the land swap, see Thursday’s Coeur d’Alene Press.