Planning commission recommends C‑17L rezoning for 213 E. Harrison after neighbors raise parking, safety concerns

On Feb. 11, 2025, the Coeur d'Alene Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that City Council rezone a 0.213‑acre parcel at 213 E. Harrison Avenue from C‑17 PUD to C‑17L, clearing the way for the applicant to convert an existing house to a professional office and to add an accessory apartment for an on‑site caretaker.

Planning staff presented the request (ZC‑1‑25) and the commission’s required findings, noting the parcel’s history as a PUD approved in 1980 with narrow use limits and that city utilities and public facilities would serve the proposed development. Staff said the property is about 9,411 square feet and that the city engineer estimated the project would generate roughly 18 additional vehicular trips per day — “about 2 additional AM peak hour and 2 additional PM peak hour trips,” staff said.

The rezoning matter matters because the 1980 PUD tied the lot to a single commercial use and prevented other uses the owner now seeks; a C‑17L designation would allow limited commercial and office uses while excluding the broader set of uses a full C‑17 district permits. The applicant, Aaron Moat, told commissioners he plans to convert the house to a small professional management office and build a caretaker apartment to improve on‑site oversight and security. “There will be no business operations taken care in the accessory caretaker’s unit,” Moat said, and he described plans for modest parking on the lot.

Neighbors speaking during public comment opposed the rezoning or expressed concern about how the property has been used. One resident said, “The property has deteriorated since he’s been there,” and another described repeated parking and trash problems on the block and worries about people living in the house in the past. Commissioners and staff discussed alternatives — neighborhood commercial (NC), community commercial (CC), C‑17L and full C‑17 — and the limitations of modifying the existing small PUD under current code (a PUD now requires an acre‑and‑a‑half minimum). Staff cautioned that conditional rezoning can be hard to administer and that a standard zoning district provides clearer, long‑term rules.

After discussion the commission moved to recommend C‑17L to City Council. On roll call the commission recorded: Fleming — yes; McCracken — no; Lutrop — yes; Ward — yes; Messina (chair) — yes; Ingalls and Coppas were recorded as absent for the roll call vote. The motion passed and the recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action.

What comes next: the commission’s recommendation is advisory; City Council will take the final zoning decision. If Council adopts C‑17L, future building permits will require the property owner to meet parking, sidewalk and stormwater requirements at the time of development, and staff said those infrastructure issues will be addressed during permitting.