COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — The Children’s Village is seeking a special use permit to build a multi-agency resource center and other future buildings on its campus, reports the Coeur d'Alene Press.
The request will go before the Coeur d'Alene Planning Commission at its 5:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
"We believe that this request will show to be compatible with the current zoning, community character and the adjacent properties," Ryan M. Johnson of Architects West, Inc. wrote in an Oct. 28 letter to the city on behalf of Children’s Village.
Vanessa Moos, chief executive officer of Children’s Village, said Friday if approval to move ahead is received, construction could begin in March with completion later this year.
Stancraft Construction Group has been chosen as the project's contractor.
Children’s Village was selected by the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections to receive $1.5 million to build a multi-agency resource center.
Moos said Children's Village may turn to donors for help if construction runs higher than the $1.5 million.
The center would be staffed by plain-clothed Kootenai County Juvenile Diversion officers. Additional state and private community organizations will also use the spaces for offices and internship placements.
“This assessment center will create an opportunity for the community to identify the individual needs of any youth and family in crisis," said JT Taylor, director of Kootenai County Juvenile Detention.
Children’s Village on Hanley Avenue has been in service for 32 years. Services include crisis respite to private families in need, emergency shelter for children in need of long-term housing and residential treatment for children "with complex needs rooted in trauma," the release said.
In 1989, a Community Education Special Use Permit was approved for the 9.7-acre property where Children's Village sits. While it allowed for six residential-type homes to be built, only two have been constructed.
Adjacent properties to the east, south and north are single-family home lots. To the west is United Methodist Church, Ramsey Road and Lake City High School.
Traffic implications resulting from the resource center will be minimal, Johnson wrote.
No city agencies cited any concerns with the project.
"We are proposing that this building will foster a much-needed tool for community engagement and educational resources to an at-risk youth demographic for families experiencing challenges," he wrote.
Moos said the new center is in line with the nonprofit's efforts to keep children out of state and federal systems.
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