Kootenai County officials discuss 74‑slip River's Edge community dock and river safety concerns

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from the Idaho Department of Lands on a pending encroachment permit for a proposed community dock at River's Edge Apartments on the Spokane River, and county and law‑enforcement officials urged more agency and public comment before the application is decided.

Mike Amer, a permit specialist with the Idaho Department of Lands' dock permit program, told the commissioners the River's Edge application proposes a community dock system with about 74 slips and that the public‑comment period for that application closes August 4. Amer said the proposal “appears to meet our rules and regulations” for community docks, including the department's frontage formula and 25‑foot lateral buffers from property lines, and that the department is reviewing whether the design preserves a 366‑foot navigational corridor down the middle of the river.

The application and the broader issue of added dock capacity on the Spokane River drew objections from the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office and marine deputies, who warned the river is congested and that design and location in narrow sections could create safety hazards. Robert Norris, Kootenai County sheriff, said, “The sheriff's office will be submitting a letter adamantly against this project because the safety of all the recreators, in that particular area.”

Sergeant Ryan Miller of the sheriff's marine unit said enforcement capacity is limited and that Idaho code's separation standards assume ideal conditions the river often does not have. “We don't have the staffing to have marine deputies out there to ensure that everyone is out there, every single boat that's going by,” Miller said, adding that floating debris, swimmers and tubers make the perfect‑separation assumptions unrealistic.

David Kelleher, Kootenai County community development director, told the commissioners the county's rules and the IDAPA regulations governing encroachments have not kept pace with growth and said the issue calls for reconsideration of those rules. “This strikes me, like, as one of those cases where IDAPA does not rise to the issue properly,” Kelleher said.

City of Coeur d'Alene staff offered a different perspective, calling attention to waterfront improvements tied to the project. Troy Thymison, with the City of Coeur d'Alene, said the developer has proposed stepped‑back waterfront improvements and a public trail that would increase public access: “This project, when it's permitted to get to the water, will be open to the public, which before it would not have.” Hillary Patterson, also with the city, asked whether the application meets the regulation's definition of a community dock because the upland parcels are owned by one entity and the slips would be limited to apartment residents; Amer said the department believes the application can meet the community‑dock definition but noted alternative ownership or leasing arrangements could clarify that point.

Speakers raised related issues the department is soliciting comments on, including how many boats the river can safely accommodate (described several times as a question of "carrying capacity"), how to treat other pending permit applications (including an 11‑double‑slip proposal at Greens Ferry whose comment period closes August 14), and the presence of pilings and illegal buoys that local agencies say increase hazards. County and city staff offered to coordinate removal of hazardous pilings and to provide a workboat and crane for buoy removal; Parks and Waterways staff and sheriff's marine deputies discussed seizing and storing illegally deployed buoys and possible citation for owners if appropriate.

Amer described the department's review process and the limits of its authority: IDL relies on agency comments from Fish and Game, DEQ, county and local police and parks agencies and will refer contested matters to a public hearing if agencies or members of the public request that step. He noted the controlling regulation as IDAPA 20.03.04 and said a denial must be presented at hearing with supporting agency evidence. He also described procedural constraints on appeals, including that parties must file to be an official party 30 days before a hearing in order to preserve appeal rights in the administrative process.

No vote or formal action was taken by the board at the meeting. Participants were urged to file technical comments and, where appropriate, evidence or recommended alternative conditions; the sheriff's office said it will submit a letter opposing the River's Edge proposal on safety grounds. Amer asked commenters who oppose approval to include specific recommendations (for example, a lower number of slips or a design that hugs shore) and supporting data so the concerns can be cited in any hearing record.

Public‑comment deadlines the department cited during the meeting were August 4 for the River's Edge Apartments application and August 14 for the Greens Ferry community dock application. The board did not take a position at the meeting but commissioners discussed possible bases for a comment, including navigation, recreation and aesthetic impacts.