What Can You Do?

Kootenai Environmental Alliance provides the following for your consideration:

Kootenai County is expected to face a population increase of some 60,000 people in the 20 years covered by this plan -- an increase comparable to another city the size of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls combined.  To manage this growth, the County needs a strong Comprehensive Plan that protects the public health and environment, protects our natural resources and scenic landscapes, and allows for sustainable land use and development patterns into the future.

Kootenai County is in the final stages of adopting a Comprehensive Plan to guide land use patterns in the County for the next 20 years.  The Board of County Commissioners is currently in deliberations. 

1.  Master Planned Communities

    These developments contemplated by the draft Comprehensive Plan are intended to be large “self-sufficient” communities with a mix of residential and commercial development.  Such developments aren’t inherently bad, but such large developments need to be located appropriately.  Currently, the Comprehensive Plan would allow such developments anywhere in the County.  Such urban-scale development must be limited to urban areas or Areas of City Impact.

2.  Land Use Designations

    The draft Comprehensive Plan makes changes to land use designations in order to protect rural areas and direct development to more urban areas, particularly on the Rathdrum Prairie. There, for protection of the aquifer, public water and sewer would be required for future development.  To accomplish the goals with the coming population pressures and environmental restrictions, the County’s rural designations need to be less dense in order to stop sprawl and leapfrog development.   For true rural protection, larger lots are necessary -- 5-acre zoning is simply not sustainable and leads to sprawl.

3.  Public Participation

    Meaningful public participation is critical to land use decision-making, and the Comprehensive Plan should be very explicit in protecting this important value.  Earlier and more robust participation by citizens and neighborhood groups will almost invariably result in better development planning and fewer mistakes.  In particular, the County should require a pre-application informational meeting for major development proposals, and this procedure should be included in the Comprehensive Plan.

What you can do:

1. Contact your County Commissioner directly to ask them to support a strong comprehensive plan that protects natural resources and rural communities.
   
2. Attend the public deliberations on the plan.  (See the County's website for the exact schedule: http://www.kcgov.us.departments/planning/newcompplan.asp)
   

For more information, contact: Terry J. Harris in our office or via e-mail: terry@kealliance.org.