RATHDRUM, Idaho — The small city of Rathdrum, Idaho, is taking proactive steps to adapt to its rapidly growing population.
This fall, the city adopted a Downtown Revitalization and Safety Action plan, prioritizing key improvements to the downtown area.
Raffi Peltekian, owner of the recently opened Cascadia Pizza, is among the local business owners invested in Rathdrum's future.
"We picked Rathdrum because of the charm it has and how centrally located it is," Peltekian said. "And we just absolutely love Rathdrum to the core."
Peltekian's investment in the area prompted his involvement in the Downtown Revitalization Committee. Based on community survey results, the committee identified five main areas for improving the downtown area:
- Parking
- Sidewalks and ADA accessibility
- Trees and beautification
- Community areas
- Street paving
Adding more parking tops the list, which is not a surprise to Peltekian.
"That's definitely a point of pain for us business owners down here," Peltekian said.
The mostly on-street parking on Main Street has worked in the past for this small town. But while the city tracks more foot traffic, the need for more parking has grown.
"It would be nice to have a little bit more parking down here, and there are some areas of opportunity that they can take advantage of," Peltekian said.
Rathdrum's downtown revitalization plan recommends a few areas of opportunity. The city could buy new property and develop it into a parking area. But there isn't much property available for this kind of development.
The plan also suggests developing current city-owned property, such as the vacant lot next to the old county jail, which used to be a dumping area. It would take about $150,000 to develop this 0.5 acre into a gravel lot.
Another option is to repurpose the city's skate park. While this would be the cheaper option, an estimated $65,000, the committee considers this a short-term solution since it's a smaller lot at .20 acres.
Sidewalk improvements through Main Street is also a priority. Tree roots are pushing up sidewalks and causing tripping hazards. The plan says fixing this will avoid injuries and encourage more foot traffic and events in the downtown area.
"It's a huge area of opportunity for the city to grow," Peltekian said.
With the plan now adopted, the focus shifts to funding. The committee anticipates relying heavily on grants, with the most recent application submitted for the Community Development Block Grant.