COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Coeur d’Alene City Council members voted to approve the massive Coeur Terre development Tuesday night. 440 acres will now be annexed into the city and the project could bring as many as 2,800 new housing units to an alfalfa field off Huetter Road.
City council members once again heard desperate pleas from people who live in the neighborhood right next to where this development will be built. They are extremely concerned with the project’s high density and the thousands of extra cars that it will bring in the future.
Developers say Coeur Terre will be built in phases over multiple decades. They have volunteered to build a police sub station, several parks and trails and have set aside land for two new schools. Plans include building a maximum 2,800 housing units at various price levels, and 5% of housing will be dedicated to workforce housing.
Council members Dan Gookin and Christie Wood voted against the proposal. They feel it negatively impacts the surrounding area.
“I don’t think we’re protecting that neighborhood," Gookin said. "In fact, we’re sending a message to every single neighborhood in this town that you’re neighborhood is at risk. Because this council will bend to new development, we are sending a message to every neighborhood in this town that you’re neighborhood is at risk if a developer comes in next door who wants to build something big and flashy for all the talking points you’ve heard. That is the message.”
Other council members said they heard neighbors loud and clear and understand their concerns, but that those need to be weighed against the needs of the community now and in the future. They say the city has a housing shortage and needs more affordable housing.
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