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Post Falls planning commission approves Crown Reserve subdivision, removes two staff conditions
Summary
The Post Falls Planning & Zoning Commission approved the Crown Reserve subdivision (SUBD-24-5), a 148‑lot first phase on about 37.67 acres of an 83.88‑acre parcel, directing staff to delete condition 6 and remove Balmoral Drive from condition 7; commissioners and staff flagged a Post Falls Highway District request for additional traffic analysis to be addressed in the development process.
The Post Falls Planning & Zoning Commission approved the Crown Reserve subdivision, SUBD‑24‑5, after hearing staff and developer presentations and public questions about traffic, sewer and long‑term maintenance.
Planner Ethan Porter told the commission the proposal covers about 37.67 acres as the first phase of an 83.88‑acre site and proposes 148 lots, which is within the development agreement cap of 525 residential units. Porter also said legal advised that the staff‑recommended condition 6 should be removed from the staff report because the city cannot mandate language in private covenants.
Ray Kimball, representing owner Jacqueline Land Company, outlined the layout and design elements he said the developer is committing to, including a 3.6‑acre neighborhood park, a mix of larger lots and smaller “cottage” lots, alley‑loaded rear garages, bulb‑outs to calm traffic, and a secured boat/RV storage area. Kimball said the developer will construct a quarter‑mile of Bodine Avenue to Chase Road with curb, gutter and sidewalk on the north side and that utilities and street connections to the adjacent school district property are intended to make that school site shovel‑ready.
“The City of Post Falls will be providing sewer and we’ve done a capacity analysis to ensure that there is available sewer capacity,” Kimball said. “We have met all the criteria for approval, and we request an approval tonight.”
City engineer Robert Paulus summarized a three‑day traffic snapshot from October 2024 and said observed volumes on Spokane Street were lower than the applicant’s abbreviated traffic study projections, which staff said supports a finding of sufficient capacity. Post Falls Highway District, however, submitted an objection requesting a full traffic‑impact analysis focused on access points and potential mitigation at the Bodine–Chase intersection; staff and commissioners directed that the applicant work with the highway district and city during the development review to address those concerns.
During public testimony, nearby resident Valerie Hamilton raised multiple questions about where wastewater and sewer lines would be placed, whether Spokane Street would be torn up during construction, who would maintain and plow streets and alleys, and how the RV/boat storage allocation would be managed. Kimball and staff answered that sewer tie‑ins are stubbed into Cologne and that the developer will coordinate trunk installation with public works; they reiterated that Bodine will be built with this subdivision phase even if a future school is not constructed.
On a motion finding the project meets the approval criteria in Post Falls Municipal Code 17.12.060(h), commissioners approved the subdivision subject to staff conditions 1–12 with explicit direction to delete condition 6 and to remove Balmoral Drive from condition 7; the motion passed on roll call with all present voting yes.
Next steps include finalizing construction plans, completing any required traffic‑impact analysis in coordination with the highway district, and preparing the written reasoned decision and recording documents. The park is expected to be privately owned and maintained by an HOA given its size relative to the city’s park‑ownership threshold.
