Post Falls City Council on Dec. 2 approved the annexation of roughly 18.11 acres known as the McGuire annexation (file ANNX-25-4) and adopted R2 zoning with a required restriction that homes be detached single-family units.

Justin Souder, Planning Manager, told the council the site meets city review criteria, that sanitary sewer capacity exists on Maguire Road and that the annexation aligns with the West Prairie focus area and the city's Comprehensive Plan. "We have the capacity to provide service and the willingness to provide service at the requested density," Souder said during the staff presentation.

The applicant, Ray Kimball, representing the property owners, said the development would provide "entry-level" detached homes, relocate Yukon Avenue to create a safer railroad crossing and deliver required right-of-way and frontage improvements paid by the developer. "When it comes to affordability, we're trying to bring the lot price down and correspondingly bring the home price down," Kimball said.

Supporters told council the annexation would increase housing supply and fund pedestrian connectivity and road improvements. Wade Jacklin, one of the applicants, said combining contiguous parcels allowed a more cohesive design and reduced piecemeal impacts.

Opponents raised traffic, safety and environmental concerns. Tamara Dale, a nearby resident, cautioned that increased density near the rail crossing and across Maguire could worsen pedestrian and emergency response risks; Michael Gardner warned of long-term maintenance costs and potential groundwater impacts tied to increased impervious surfaces.

Councilmembers debated the tradeoffs between securing rights-of-way and utility continuity through annexation and preserving the area's rural character. Several councilmembers cited the annexation agreement's single-family detached restriction as a mitigating factor in approving an R2 zone for this site.

A motion to approve the annexation and to zone the land R2, with the single-family detached restriction and direction for staff to prepare ordinances and reasoned decisions, carried on roll calls recorded in the meeting.

What happens next: staff will prepare the final ordinance and the development will proceed through subsequent subdivision and engineering reviews, at which time required frontage improvements, sidewalk and utility hookups will be specified and permitted.

Details from the meeting: the annexation was presented as file ANNX-25-4; staff identified pipeline corridors and noted coordination with Post Falls Highway District and pipeline operators would occur during subdivision engineering.

The council's action preserves the city's leverage to obtain rights-of-way and to require developer-funded infrastructure while placing limits on housing type at this site.