Kootenai County officials and planning consultants began a joint comprehensive-plan kickoff on Dec. 4, 2025, laying out a public engagement schedule and the first countywide parks and recreation master-plan component. The session, hosted by the Board of County Commissioners with the Planning and Zoning Commission and Parks & Waterways staff, focused on outreach tools, growth projections and policy issues that will shape land-use and park decisions over the next two decades.

Consultant Aaron Qualls of SCJ Alliance described a comprehensive plan as a 20-year, community-driven guide that provides the legal and policy framework for zoning and subdivision regulations and can support grant applications and capital programming. "A comprehensive plan is a 20-year vision by and for the community," Qualls said, and he told the group that strong public engagement is essential for legitimacy and eventual implementation.

Qualls presented an initial, aggressive schedule that includes a broad online survey, in-person outreach at community events and interactive tools such as "penny polls" and scenario boards to test trade-offs. He said the process will include at least one Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing and a formal adoption resolution by the Board of County Commissioners; the team plans a public engagement event within weeks and a project page on keepingkootenai.com to promote participation.

Consultants flagged housing and infrastructure as central tensions. Qualls cited regional projections from KMPO for the 2045 planning horizon that estimate roughly 148,000 additional residents countywide (cities included) and, using an average household size of 2.51, about 48,000 additional housing units under that scenario. He also reported housing tenure and type data showing a large single-family stock, a substantial number of mobile homes and owner-occupancy near 72% versus about 27% renter-occupied units.

Those figures underpinned repeated discussion of "concurrency" policies tying new development to the availability of water, sewer, roads and public safety services. A commissioner asked whether the plan should set explicit service-level expectations; Qualls said the team will examine concurrency and capital-improvement planning as part of the implementation chapter.

Parks and waterways emerged as a distinctive element of the county plan. Mark Garf, SCJ senior landscape architect, and Parks & Waterways staff described the county's robust on-water program, specialized training and equipment (including a new jet boat) and winter trail grooming operations. Garf said the inventory shows a well-served waterfront system but gaps in upland parks, sports fields, playgrounds and trail connectivity.

Nick Snyder of Parks & Waterways said much of the department's funding comes from vessel-registration revenue and a small parks levy; he confirmed grants cover initial capital costs but rarely ongoing maintenance. "There are limits," Snyder said, adding maintenance for existing assets is a major constraint. Commissioners and participants discussed funding options including grants, targeted levies, local-option taxes or impact fees, and potential sponsorships or volunteer-supported maintenance for trails.

Environmental concerns also framed the conversation. Qualls highlighted wildfire as the county's top hazard, followed by winter storms and flooding, and summarized prior presentations on sediment and eutrophication threats to Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene rivers. He also noted a recently drafted ordinance to protect the county's sole-source aquifer and said an Aquifer District map will inform any land-use policies for sensitive areas.

Qualls closed by outlining next steps: complete and vet the public survey with county staff, confirm logistics for the initial engagement event, and launch the project web page for broader outreach. The meeting adjourned after questions and a brief discussion of funding and concurrency; there were no formal motions or votes taken.

The consultants and county staff said they aim to return draft policies for public review later in the process and will schedule the public hearings required by Idaho code before adoption.