Commission recommends approval of North Atlas Industrial preliminary plat to create 10 light-industrial lots

The City of Hayden Planning and Zoning Commission on July 21 voted unanimously to recommend approval to city council of the North Atlas Industrial Subdivision preliminary plat (PZE-25-0055), a proposal to divide about 9.63 acres into 10 light-industrial lots.

The recommendation followed a presentation by Drew Dittman of Lake City Engineering. Commissioners Erickson, Johnson, Morris and Chair Taylor each voted “aye” on the motion to recommend approval.

Dittman said the single-phase subdivision will create ten industrial lots ranging under roughly one acre each, with Phantom Drive extended from Atlas Road through the site and Atlas Road improved to a collector typical section. He told the commission sewer and water infrastructure are available in Phantom and Atlas, and that a Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board “odor easement” and an avigation easement for the Coeur D’Alene Airport were among the agency considerations. Dittman said a Hayden Lake Irrigation District line may be installed in Phantom Drive as part of looping the district’s system; Avondale Irrigation District provided a will-serve letter for water. He said the applicant does not object to the staff conditions and will comply with the construction and utility requirements.

Donna summarized staff analysis and the eight statutory standards that the city evaluates for subdivision plats: availability of infrastructure and services, access, erosion-control and construction standards, conformance with zoning, and developer responsibility for fair-share improvements. Staff noted the site lies in the city’s light-industrial zoning and that Carrington Meadows residential subdivision is located to the southwest. The Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board requested an odor easement due to proximity to the wastewater treatment plant; the Coeur D’Alene Airport requested an avigation easement and discussed Phantom Drive alignment because portions of Phantom east of Atlas lie in Kootenai County and Post Falls Highway District jurisdiction. Northern Lakes Fire Protection provided standard fire and access requirements.

Staff-recommended conditions of approval include: dedication of right-of-way and grant of required easements (or separate documents at final plat), construction of Phantom Drive and Atlas improvements to specified typical sections, erosion-control and stormwater measures reviewed at construction-plan submittal, coordination with Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board and Northern Lakes Fire Protection, placement of mailboxes and street-frontage landscaping to be finalized during construction plan review, and recording an avigation easement requested by the airport. Staff also required a dry-seed ground-cover and temporary erosion controls on individual lots until lots are built and irrigation/landscaping is installed.

Commission comments endorsed the location for industrial development and welcomed the planned extension of Phantom Drive. Commissioners asked about parking and lot character; Dittman said parking and traffic intensity will be established when individual lots apply for building permits and that traffic studies will be required for future development depending on uses. The commission’s recommendation now advances the preliminary plat to the City Council for final action and for any required inter-jurisdictional coordination.

If the council accepts the recommendation, the final plat and construction plans must meet the listed conditions, obtain required permits from outside agencies (for example, Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board, Avondale Irrigation District, Coeur D’Alene Airport, Northern Lakes Fire Protection and Panhandle Health District), and record required easements and right-of-way prior to final plat recording.