Council narrows CORTERRA rezoning request, approves sewage-timing amendment

Coeur d’Alene — The Coeur d’Alene City Council on April 15 rejected a developer request to rezone about 14 acres in the northwest corner of the CORTERRA annexation from R-17 residential to C-17 commercial, but approved two smaller rezones tied to relocating a well site and approved an amendment to the annexation agreement limited to the timing and scope of sanitary sewer improvements.

The council’s action came after a public hearing that drew more than a dozen neighbors and community members who raised concerns about traffic, building heights and long-term oversight of the project. Melissa Wells, president of Kootenai County Land Company, told the council her team sought flexibility to submit applications for product types allowed by the zoning districts rather than be held to a single conceptual map drawn at annexation.

The council emphasized preserving review and public input for large or substantial changes. Councilmembers voted to deny the requested R-17→C-17 rezoning for the 14-acre northwest corner, while approving two zone adjustments that move and relabel smaller well‑site parcels (R‑3↔C‑17L). Separately, the council approved Amendment 1 to the annexation/development agreement limited to sanitary sewer timing and scope, a change city wastewater staff requested so engineering fixes match measured system flows.

Why it matters: CORTERRA is a 438-acre annexation the council approved in 2023 with a self-imposed cap of 2,800 residential units and a long development agreement that requires individual phases to pass concurrency analyses for traffic, water and sewer. Residents said changes that broaden allowed uses or cut review could allow high-impact commercial development or tall buildings near established neighborhoods and increase traffic on Hanley, Appaloosa and nearby arterials.

What the city and applicant said - Melissa Wells, president of Kootenai County Land Company: the amendment request would replace a single conceptual exhibit with an exhibit that simply lists uses permitted in each zone so the developer can submit PUDs and subdivisions without being blocked because a proposed product is not shown in the old concept. "All we're asking is the ability to submit the application so that we can then proceed," Wells said. - Sean Holmes, city planner (staff): staff had allowed flexibility for some alignment and design issues but called the residential triplex→large residential care building the applicant proposed a substantial change that would have required public hearings under the existing agreement. - Mike Anderson, wastewater engineer: the development agreement currently requires specific sewer upgrades that were sized to older flow estimates. Updated flows are lower; the wastewater division asked council to allow the city to set timing and mutually agree scope so upgrades are sized and timed to measured conditions rather than imposing an oversized, premature pump upgrade.

Public concerns: Speakers from nearby neighborhoods described peak-hour backups on Hanley and Appaloosa, objected to more commercial zoning at the northwest corner, worried that C‑17 allows many uses by right and has no standalone height cap if more than 49% of a building is nonresidential, and urged the council to retain development oversight and public hearings for substantial changes. Several asked that any nonresidential development in the new C‑17 area be converted to an equivalent number of residential units and deducted from the 2,800‑unit cap; the applicant proposed exactly that as a voluntary safeguard.

Council action and votes - Motion: Deny zone change R‑17→C‑17 (approx. 14 acres); approve R‑3→C‑17L and C‑17L→R‑3 rezones for the smaller well-site parcels. Vote: Gookin yes; English yes; Wood yes; Evans yes; Miller yes; Gabriel yes. Outcome: approved (well-site rezones approved; larger R‑17→C‑17 denied). - Motion: Approve Amendment 1 to the annexation and development agreement limited to sanitary sewer timing and scope (city controls timing; scope changes by mutual agreement). Vote: Wood yes; Evans yes; Miller yes; Gabriel yes; Gookin yes; English yes. Outcome: approved.

Key facts and clarifications - The annexation includes a long development agreement and a residential cap of 2,800 units (unchanged by tonight’s actions). The cap applies only if concurrency and other conditions are met. - Planning Commission recommended approval of the two well-site rezones and the amendment but proposed that short plats be prohibited (Planning Commission 5–0 recommendation; staff included that condition in its materials). - Notices: 93 mailed notices; legal notice published March 29; property posted April 7.

Next steps: The applicant may submit project‑level applications (PUDs, plats) under the existing zoning map. If the applicant seeks a future rezone of the northwest corner to C‑17 again, council said it would consider conditions and retained the authority to require public hearings. The wastewater timing change allows the city to sequence upgrades based on measured flows rather than fixed pump upgrades spelled out in the original agreement.

Speakers - Sean Holmes, City planner (first staff presentation: block starting 6676.9004) - Melissa Wells, president, Kootenai County Land Company (applicant) (first applicant remarks: block starting 9331.615) - Connie Krueger, planning consultant for applicant - Mike Anderson, City wastewater engineer (first referenced during hearing) - Organized commenters and residents: Brian Rogers, Brett Haney, Ron McGee, Nate Dyke, Tom Burpee, Suzanne Knudson, Mark Jacoby - Council: Mayor Woody McCarver; Councilmembers Amy Evans, Dan English, Mike Gookin, John Wood, Kenny Gabriel, Katie Miller (per transcript)

Authorities - Annexation and Development Agreement (CORTERRA) - Coeur d’Alene Comprehensive Plan (place types: Compact and Urban Neighborhoods) - City zoning code: C‑17, C‑17L, R‑17, R‑3 and subdivision/short‑plat rules - Planning Commission recommendation (5–0)

Clarifying details - Annexation area: approximately 438 acres (total site) - Developer’s self‑imposed residential cap: 2,800 units - Noticed: 93 mailed notices; newspaper publication March 29; posting April 7 - Planning Commission review date: March 11, 2025 (5–0 recommendation)

Proper names - CORTERRA (project name used in application) - Kootenai County Land Company (applicant) - Coeur d’Alene (city)

Searchable tags: Cortera, annexation, zoning, C‑17, sewer, wastewater, development agreement, Hanley Avenue, Appaloosa Road

Provenance - topicintro: {"block_id":"block_6676.9004","local_start":0,"local_end":1000,"evidence_excerpt":"So what you've all been waiting for that public hearing in regards to, the change of zoning out in the Bahtia Corteira area. Make sure if you are gonna speak, you're signed up on those sheets so we can hear from you.","reason_code":"topicintro"} - topfinish: {"block_id":"block_15002.775","local_start":0,"local_end":1000,"evidence_excerpt":"So finally, to get to this, which we have to do findings and orders on as well, which would be to approve Amendment 1 to the annexation development agreement of property North Of I-ninety and Woodside Avenue ... specifically and only with regards to the waste water treatment plant request.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}