Archive for November, 2011
BUILDING PERMITS Kootenai County
RJJM L. L. C., commercial, 39765 S. Highway 97, Harrison, value $15,680, contractor Winkler Concrete, issued Oct. 14
Steve Lammens, single gamily residence, 5154 E. Sunset Drive, Harrison, value $254,773, contractor Bassett, issued Oct. 14
Steve Lammens, garage/carport, 5154 E. Sunset Drive, Harrison, value $33,456, contractor Bassett, issued Oct. 14
William Potts, single family residence, 21478, S. Lammons Road, Worley, value $314,066, contractor Bestway Builders, issued Oct. 14
William Potts, garage, carport, 21478 S. Lammons Road, Worley, value $31,365, contractor Bestway Builders, issued Oct. 14
D & L Developers L. L. C., single family residence, 23756 N. Rapalla Court, Athol, value $179,751, contractor North Idaho Builders, issued Oct. 14
David Phifer, single family residence, 4889 W. Fuller Road, Coeur d’Alene, value $225,920, contractor Custom Waterfront Homes, issued Oct. 17
David Wight, single family residence, 6470 W. Highland Drive, Coeur d’Alene, value $172,569, issued Oct. 20
Patrick & Barbara Brown, single family residence, 11408 E. Sims Lane, Athol, value $213,810, contractor Northwestern Builders, issued Oct. 20
Patrick & Barbara Brown, garage/carport, 11408 E. Sims Lane, Athol, value $35,846, contractor Northwestern Builders, issued Oct. 20
Dominican Sisters of Idaho, commercial structure, 20240 W. Riverview Drive, Post Falls, value $344,496, contractor Kuypers Construction, issued Oct. 25
Competitive Edge L. L. C., commercial structure, 1349 N. Beck Road, Post Falls, value $281,400, contractor CDA Structures, issued Oct. 28
Loren R. Burke Jr., single family residence, 6456 E. Dewey Drive, Coeur d’Alene, value $504,198, contractor Monarch Development, issued Oct. 25
Roger Rasmussen, single family residence, 14205 S. Dolliver Road, Coeur d’Alene, value $286,868, contractor Flowers Construction, issued Oct. 25
Jim Chamberlain, residential alteration, 6774 S. Sailboat Lane, Coeur d’Alene, value $650,000, contractor Gunder Homes Inc., issued Oct. 25
Gary L. Roberts, single family residence, 25032 N. Lantern Hill Road, Rathdrum, value $293,698, issued Oct. 25
Robert S. Malizia, single family residence, 18059 S. Grizzly Road, Coeur d’Alene. value $349,350, contractor Aspen Homes & Development, issued Oct. 27
Terras L. L. C., commercial, 2191 E. Ohio Match Road, Rathdrum, value $9,250, contractor Northwest Fence Company Inc., issued Nov. 4
Terras L. L. C., commercial, 2241 E. Ohio Match Road, Rathdrum, value $9,250, contractor Northwest Fence Company Inc., issued Nov. 4
Keith A Kadel, single family residence, 4529 E. Hayden Lake Road, Hayden, value $286,789, contractor Creekside Construction, issued Nov. 4
Sumer Family Ltd. Partnership, single family residence, 6287 E. Evernade Road, Hayden, value $56,716, contractor Treo Development Company, issued Nov. 1
Kim & Renee Taylor, single family residence, 11455 E. Nunn Road, Athol, value $135,463, contractor Habitat for Humanity, issued Nov. 3
Stanford L. L. C., single family residence, 18424 S. Thirsty Beach Lane, Coeur d’Alene, value $102,500, issued Oct. 3
RJJM L. L. C., commercial, 39765 S. Highway 97, Harrison, value $15,680, contractor Winkler Concrete, issued Oct. 14Steve Lammens, single gamily residence, 5154 E. Sunset Drive, Harrison, value $254,773, contractor Bassett, issued Oct. 14Steve Lammens, garage/carport, 5154 E. Sunset Drive, Harrison, value $33,456, contractor Bassett, issued Oct. 14William Potts, single family residence, 21478, S. Lammons Road, Worley, value $314,066, contractor Bestway Builders, issued Oct. 14William Potts, garage, carport, 21478 S. Lammons Road, Worley, value $31,365, contractor Bestway Builders, issued Oct. 14D & L Developers L. L. C., single family residence, 23756 N. Rapalla Court, Athol, value $179,751, contractor North Idaho Builders, issued Oct. 14David Phifer, single family residence, 4889 W. Fuller Road, Coeur d’Alene, value $225,920, contractor Custom Waterfront Homes, issued Oct. 17David Wight, single family residence, 6470 W. Highland Drive, Coeur d’Alene, value $172,569, issued Oct. 20Patrick & Barbara Brown, single family residence, 11408 E. Sims Lane, Athol, value $213,810, contractor Northwestern Builders, issued Oct. 20Patrick & Barbara Brown, garage/carport, 11408 E. Sims Lane, Athol, value $35,846, contractor Northwestern Builders, issued Oct. 20Dominican Sisters of Idaho, commercial structure, 20240 W. Riverview Drive, Post Falls, value $344,496, contractor Kuypers Construction, issued Oct. 25Competitive Edge L. L. C., commercial structure, 1349 N. Beck Road, Post Falls, value $281,400, contractor CDA Structures, issued Oct. 28Loren R. Burke Jr., single family residence, 6456 E. Dewey Drive, Coeur d’Alene, value $504,198, contractor Monarch Development, issued Oct. 25Roger Rasmussen, single family residence, 14205 S. Dolliver Road, Coeur d’Alene, value $286,868, contractor Flowers Construction, issued Oct. 25Jim Chamberlain, residential alteration, 6774 S. Sailboat Lane, Coeur d’Alene, value $650,000, contractor Gunder Homes Inc., issued Oct. 25Gary L. Roberts, single family residence, 25032 N. Lantern Hill Road, Rathdrum, value $293,698, issued Oct. 25Robert S. Malizia, single family residence, 18059 S. Grizzly Road, Coeur d’Alene. value $349,350, contractor Aspen Homes & Development, issued Oct. 27Terras L. L. C., commercial, 2191 E. Ohio Match Road, Rathdrum, value $9,250, contractor Northwest Fence Company Inc., issued Nov. 4Terras L. L. C., commercial, 2241 E. Ohio Match Road, Rathdrum, value $9,250, contractor Northwest Fence Company Inc., issued Nov. 4Keith A Kadel, single family residence, 4529 E. Hayden Lake Road, Hayden, value $286,789, contractor Creekside Construction, issued Nov. 4Sumer Family Ltd. Partnership, single family residence, 6287 E. Evernade Road, Hayden, value $56,716, contractor Treo Development Company, issued Nov. 1Kim & Renee Taylor, single family residence, 11455 E. Nunn Road, Athol, value $135,463, contractor Habitat for Humanity, issued Nov. 3Stanford L. L. C., single family residence, 18424 S. Thirsty Beach Lane, Coeur d’Alene, value $102,500, issued Oct. 3
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
BUILDING PERMITS City of Post Falls
George Busch, single family tract house, 1143 W. Grange, value $509,374, issued Oct. 10
Falls Park Apartments, commercial alteration, 302 W. Fourth, value $250,000, contractor Creekside Construction, issued Oct. 10
Viking Construction, single family tract house, 3108 E. Thrush Drive, value $115,086, issued Oct. 12
Benway Quality Homes Inc., single family tract house, 1369 E. Triumph, value $147,256, issued Oct. 11
Ross Point Water District, commercial, 7204 W. Prairie, value $11,064, issued Oct. 12
Benway Quality Homes Inc., single family tract House, 1150 N Jamison Court, value $135,005, issued Oct. 17
Viking Construction, single family tract house, 2654 N. Redding Way, value $110,994, issued Oct. 17
Monarch Development, single family tract house, 1165 N. Harlequin Drive, value $238,187, issued Oct. 20
Baines-Bellagio Investments L. L. C., single family tract house, 3606 E. Early Dawn, value $119,123, contractor Medallia Momes L L. C., issued Oct. 25
Northwestern Builders Corporation, single family tract House, 1571 E. Crossing, value $132,074, issued Oct. 25
Copper Basin Construction, single family tract house, 2068 E. Knapp Drive, value $142,645, issued Oct. 24
Copper Basin Construction, single family tract house, 2067 E. Knapp Drive, value $115,519, issued Oct. 24
Alk-Abello Source Materials, commercial alteration, 448 S. Lochsa, value $35,000, contractor Divcon Inc., issued Oct. 27
Pilot Travel Centers L. L. C., commercial building, 3636 W. Fifth, value $140,000, issued Nov. 3
William Daum Construction, single family tract house, 3717 W. Addidas Lane, value $144,127, issued Nov. 2
Copper Basin Construction, single family tract house, 2068 E. Knapp Drive, value $142,645, issued Nov. 1
Copper Basin Construction, single family tract house, 2067 E. Knapp Drive, value $115,519, issued Nov. 1
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 1
BUILDING PERMITS City of Coeur d’Alene
Commercial Property Management, commercial remodel, 201 W. Neider, value $55,000, contractor Division 21, Inc., issued Oct. 10
North Idaho College Foundation, SFD with garage, 2748 W. Sorbonne Drive, value $238,603, issued Oct. 10
Stancorp Real Estate L. L. C., commercial tenant improvement-chiropractic, 2634 N. Government Way, value $50,000, contractor Williamson Johnson Company, issued Oct. 11
Moose Lounge, commercial-partial use change, 401 E. Serman, value $2,100, issued Oct. 12
Riverview Ventures L. L. C., commercial-24 unit apartment building, 4061 W. Idewild Loop, value $1,764,330, contractor Rudeen Development Inc., issued Oct. 13
Riverview Ventures L. L. C., commercial-24 unit apartment building, 40119 W. Idewild Loop, value $1,764,330, contractor Rudeen Development Inc., issued Oct. 13
Riverview Ventures L. L. C., commercial-16 unit apartment building, 4163 W. Idewild Loop, value $1,339,076, contractor Rudeen Development L. L. C., issued Oct. 13
Safeway Store #1470, commercial interior remodel, 121 W. Neider, value $115,000, issued Oct. 14
Safeway Store #3295, commercial interior remodel, 1001 N. Fourth, value $115,000, issued Oct. 14
JSBC Development Company, commercial-site improvements & retaining wall, 1100 E. Lakeshore Drive, value $3,000, contractor Paddack Builders, issued Oct. 14
Gregory Orman, demolition, 3060 S. Island Green Drive, contractor Bondra Construction, issued Oct. 17
Mark Dibiase, commercial-repair water damage, 721 E. Linden, value $38,000, contractor Icon Construction, issued Oct. 19
Motel 6, commercial-replace approach, 610 W. Appleway, contractor Cardwell Concrete Inc., issued Oct. 24
Riverstone Holdings, commercial-new office building, 1745 W. Tilford Lane, value $830,000, issued Oct. 27
The Coeur d’Alene Resort, commercial-install temporary lighting & landscaping, 115 S. Second, issued Oct. 28
Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, commercial-post frame storage building, 250 E. Dalton, value $100,000, contractor Steel Structures America, issued Oct. 28
Hallmark Homes Inc., SFD with garage, 4309 W. Long Meadow Drive, value $143,269, issued Oct. 31
Copper Basin Construction, SFD with garage, 1210 N. Sixth, value $181,976, issued Nov. 1
Copper Basin Construction, SFD with garage, 1216 N. Sixth, value $171,214, issued Nov. 1
Supervalue Inc., commercial re-roof, 220 W. Ironwood Drive, value $169,300, contractor C & K Roofing Inc., issued Nov. 3
Chad Oakland, SFD with garage, 958 N. Seventh, value $95,700, issued Nov. 4
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
Investigating Waste Water Permits
Over the last six months, the Post Falls Chamber Local Issues Committee, along with members of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber Public Policy, has been conducting an investigation of Waste Water Permits being issued to the state of Idaho.After countless hours of intense work, we would like to make a plea to our residents and elected officials. The plea is based on our opinion that the Clean Water Act and the operation of the EPA no longer serves American citizens, nor does it provide meaningful upkeep of our environment which we do value.
Our communities in Kootenai County will be forced by the EPA, not asked, to build $150 million in water treatment facilities to “help” clean a reservoir in Washington; however, the $150 million will only provide a 3 percent improvement for the reservoir and will potentially triple your sewer bill. This expense is horrendous, but we also face a growth moratorium which will likely drive away any construction and repel new employers, which will be far more devastating.
Also, the standards we are being forced to meet fall outside the guidelines of the Clean Water Act. This is the purpose of the lawsuit our cities have currently filed against the EPA. The economic impact of forced permits will be immense, imminent and will affect you directly.
Our first plea is to encourage our state lawmakers to establish what is called “primacy.” Primacy is what gives our state the ability to write our own permits rather than giving full control to the EPA. Though there is an unattractive expense associated with primacy, the cost will be worth taking control away from the EPA.
The second plea is to encourage U.S. law makers to proceed with a complete revamping of the Clean Water Act and to perform a full make-over on the operational procedures of the EPA.
Perhaps the intent of creating the Clean Water Act in 1972 was well founded. We all want clean water. We do not argue the importance of environmental oversight. But through our investigation, we are compelled to state that the current function of the Clean Water Act and the EPA do not accomplish what they were intended to. Instead of resolving environmental problems, they create economic problems. Instead of representing and collaborating with the public they’re expected to help, they chose to divide, conquer and enforce regulations with little or no “check and balance.”
The EPA will only listen to you in person in a public hearing after these permits have been finalized. Arm yourself with information. Doing nothing is the only failure.
For more information please contact Craig Wilcox at (208) 667-1212 or at crwilcox@dadco.com.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
Cd’A’s past linked to today, tomorrow
If you have not heard the Coeur d’Alene Chamber is celebrating 100 years. A yearlong celebration is currently under way. This celebration not only highlights past chamber events, activities and businesses, but also serves as an opportunity to acknowledge today’s “Shining Stars” and the vision of tomorrow’s success.
Organized in September 1912, the chamber moved through its first decade driven by the impact lumber mills, mining and transportation had on commerce and economic development. Next month we will learn a little more about mining; this month we learned that two big lumber companies dominated: Winton Lumber Company and Rutledge Timber Company. We also celebrated the arrival of the electric rail which linked Spokane to Coeur d’Alene and later ran north to Hayden. The downtown depot sat where The Resort’s clock tower presently sits.
Today, transportation is still extremely important to our economy. The importance of the rail has been replaced by trucking and air. Did you know that the economic output of general aviation at the Coeur d’Alene Airport is similar to that of the Boise Airport? True, according to Greg Delavan, Coeur d’Alene’s airport manager.
Just what drives this activity? Three major companies: Empire Air, Unitech Composites and Transtector Systems. Empire, employing some 350 people, excels in aircraft maintenance. They are the major maintenance contractor for Horizon Air. Unitech specializes in the manufacture of composite structures and products in the aerospace industry. Transtector’s success is built upon its expertise in surge protection devices used by many, including the military for their communication systems. In fact, last year Transtector was awarded a $4.6 million contract by the U.S. Air Force. These “Shining Stars,” along with the airports and other partners are worthy of major celebration.
We started by talking lumber and while many might believe that lumber has gone away, that is definitely not the case. Another “Shining Star” is the Idaho Forest Group, LLC. Formed in 2008 by merging Riley Creek Lumber and Bennett Forest Industries, Idaho Forest Group continues to grow. They recently announced the purchase of Clearwater Paper Companies, Lewiston mill. Utilizing state of the art technology, including optical imaging equipment, Idaho Forest has been able to produce consistent quality products sold worldwide, including a growing Japanese market. A focus on quality excellence assures that the lumber industry will remain a key component of the Coeur d’Alene business community and important to the chamber.
Join us Dec. 1 for our second 100-Minute Wine and Cheese Reception, hosted by Magnuson and McHugh, and Dec. 13 for Upbeat Breakfast with Mayor Bloem, giving her traditional end of the year address on the “State of the City.”
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 1
PF Chamber Calendar
FRIDAY, DEC. 2 –
- River City Leadership Academy Pajama and Sock Drive: 5-7 p.m. at the Post Falls Chamber. Bring children’s pajamas or socks and enjoy refreshments. The Post Falls City tree lighting will take place at 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, DEC. 15 –
- Legislative Send-off Luncheon: 11:30 .a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — Post Falls Senior Center. Register at www.postfallschamber.com. Cost is $20 per person, $25 at the door.
- Post Falls Chamber Ribbon Cutting: 2 p.m. — Silver Creek Senior Apartments, 3720 Tayjan Lane, Post Falls.
- Post Falls Chamber Business After Hours: 5-6:30 p.m. — Edward Jones Investments Rick Durbin, 609 Calgary Ct. # 5, Post Falls.
TUESDAY, DEC. 20 –
- Post Falls Chamber Takin’ Care of Business Luncheon: Doors open at 11:15 a.m. at Red Lion Templin’s. Join us as Mayor Clay Larkin gives his “State of the City” address. Register at www.postfallschamber.com by Friday, Dec. 16. Cost is $13 per person.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21 –
- Blood Drive at the Post Falls Chamber: 1-3 p.m.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
Five keys to getting a ‘Yes’ for a small business loan
“What does it really take for a small business owner to get a loan from a bank today?” It’s one of the top questions our bankers hear — and I would like to share our answer to this question.
According to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index — our quarterly survey of small business owners nationwide — cash flow and revenue are key concerns for small business owners today. And more than one in three small business owners (34 percent) rated getting credit was “somewhat or very difficult.” Many business owners entered the Great Recession carrying high levels of debt. As consumer spending dropped, sales declined and those business owners had a harder time obtaining credit.
While small businesses continue to face challenges in an uncertain economic environment, today a significant number of small businesses in the Treasure Valley and elsewhere are getting loans. At Wells Fargo, we saw a modest increase in loan demand in the first half of the year. The businesses that are applying for loans today are stronger than they were a year ago, and as stronger businesses come to Wells Fargo for loans, we are able to say “yes” to more small business owners.
So to help even more small businesses join those who are hearing “yes,” we’d like to share with you the five things small business owners need to know when applying for a small business loan or line of credit.
• First — Show that your business generates steady cash flow. Cash flow is a key indicator of a business’ health and its future prospects. When you can show reliable cash flow for your business, your bank can see that you have the resources to pay for new loans.
• Second — Make sure your current debt load is manageable. Your bank wants to make sure your business has the ability to take on additional debt and is in a strong financial position to manage its debt payments.
• Third — Maintain a good payment history. Before extending credit, a financial institution needs to be confident a business has the ability to repay. Your payment history provides an important record of your ability to responsibly pay down debt. Obtaining a debit or credit card is a good way to begin building a payment history for your business. Your bank can then become more familiar with you, your business and your payment history, which gives it more information to evaluate when it’s time to apply for additional financing.
• Fourth — Demonstrate business acumen. Successful businesses reinvent themselves all the time. Your bank wants to see that you anticipate potential challenges and have the management skills to overcome obstacles and pursue growth opportunities. Have a business plan that addresses the major challenges your business may face.
• Fifth — Build a solid relationship with your banker. A long-term relationship with your bank — both business and personal accounts — will give you the opportunity to show how you manage your finances as a creditworthy business owner.
If your bank has a concern that makes it unable to approve your loan, another option is to contact one of the nonprofit groups in the area focused on offering capital to small businesses that are not able to qualify for a bank loan or line of credit. One such organization is Panhandle Area Council Inc. (PAC). PAC promotes and assists economic development, and fosters a stable and diversified economy in the five northern counties of Idaho through various programs, including a number of loan programs offered to small businesses.
Here’s one final tip, if debt, cash flow or payment history are the barriers to securing a loan for your business: Take a good look at your business model. Can you identify new revenue streams for your business? Do you have opportunities to control costs? Are you able to improve profitability through changes in product mix, pricing or staffing?
Talk to your banker — he or she may help you consider all the alternatives that will improve your business and the likelihood of getting to “yes” on your next loan application. Also, visit Wells Fargo’s Business Insight Resource Center (www.wellsfargobusinessinsights.com) to access additional videos and articles with more information on how to qualify for a loan.
Kristi Hagan is the business banking manager for Wells Fargo in North Idaho.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 1
Hayden Canyon coming along
HAYDEN — Riverstone isn’t the region’s only live-work-walk project. At least, it won’t be for long.
A live-work-play-learn project, also known as a Traditional Neighborhood Development, is planned for a 610-acre site in Hayden. Hayden Canyon is a proposed mixed-use development that would combine more than 250 acres of open space, which is the size of one and a half Tubbs Hills, with roughly 1,800 residential units, a Village Center with locally owned shops and restaurants, a public park, charter school, YMCA Community Center, equestrian center and much more. Hayden Canyon is north of Lancaster Road and east of Government Way in Hayden.
NIBJ invited its developer, Glen Lanker, to talk about what’s known as Traditional Neighborhood Development and to update readers on Hayden Canyon’s progress.
An architect who graduated from Arizona State University, Lanker has devoted much of his career to studying models of Traditional Neighborhood Developments and toured about 20 of them over the past two decades. This is what he’s concluded:
“The successful ones incorporate several important principles. It’s like baking a cake: If you leave key ingredients out, it just won’t work,” he said.
One of those principles is employing techniques that make the community walkable, he said.
“If it isn’t walkable you end up with the antithesis — an auto-dependent destination,” he said. “If you’re too young or too old and can’t drive, your quality of life is hampered.
An important ingredient is locating garages and parking at the rear of the lots accessed by alleys, which frees up the front of the home for porches and makes a much more attractive streetscape to walk in, Lanker said. It’s also important to incorporate parks, schools, shopping, and workplaces within walking distance, which is about a half-mile radius.
The most successful — and happy for residents — mixed-use neighborhoods also offer a diversity of housing types, Lanker said, with one common denominator: “They all have to have the same high standards for design and construction quality.”
The price difference between an upscale family home and a 16 foot-wide row house should depend on their respective sizes, and not construction quality, he said.
A wider range in prices also ensures a healthy, integrated neighborhood, with people from a variety of ages and income groups. Lanker cited the example of one such neighborhood in the Midwest that used its community center to have elderly residents tutor young children from the neighborhood after school.
Lanker said these neighborhoods have a defined center such as a village square or green and distinct boundaries. This approach is not new, Lanker said, but is based on great examples of historic neighborhoods such as the Fort Grounds and Sanders Beach.
Lanker, meanwhile, is moving forward with his Hayden Canyon plans. The city of Hayden has approved the project’s preliminary master plan, and Lanker’s team is now working on details of the final master plan.
He said that by late next summer or the spring of 2013, he hopes to begin Phase I construction — about 100 residential units representing a good cross-section of homes with access to a greenbelt and trail system around the canyon and a pond and waterfall. A small coffee cafe and visitor center, as a gathering place for residents, would also be included in the initial phase which would take one to two years to build out, he said.
Subsequent phases will include the village center with lofts over ground level commercial including a small grocery store like Pilgrim’s Market, a village green with a small grass amphitheater overlooking a larger pond and waterfall, and the community park and community center.
Total build out, Lanker estimates, will take 10 to 15 years.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
Data diggers, here’s a gold mine
Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis has collaborated with United Way of Kootenai County, and a number of Kootenai County organizations to establish a one-stop shop for data — a data enthusiast’s dream!
“Our goal is to create and maintain a website that will provide information about our community,” said Caryl Johnston, executive director of United Way. In doing this, it is our intent that the data collected would meet the following criteria:
• It would be current, reliable and consistent;
• It would be scientifically defensible;
• It would measure indicators identified as important by members of our community;
• It would be readily available to anyone in the community;
• It would be unambiguous in its interpretation.
This data, once collected, could be used by a wide variety of organizations, business, governmental agencies and individuals both to understand our community and to make strategic decisions about how best to improve Kootenai County.
More than 100 people around the community representing local government, businesses and nonprofit organizations have participated in the indicator selection process. The site, which is expected to launch as early as next spring, will include indicators within several main categories including population, economic vitality, education, environment/land use, health, housing/transportation, public safety and recreation/tourism.
The goal of the Community Indicators Initiative site is to generate a one-stop shop, easy-to-use resource for citizens, local government, non-profits and businesses. The intention is to democratize data — to make data available to all — and for people to utilize it as a tool for evidence-based decision making.
The indicators site will serve as a valuable tool to identify where our community excels, as well as where we may have pressing community challenges. In other communities, similar projects have served to inspire dialogue and strategy that leads to change in the community. The intent is to help the community to prioritize community action that will lead to measurable improvements, in order to measure change of identified issues over time.
Making measurable change in our community requires community-wide action through collaboration of agencies and organizations. In the end, the Kootenai Indicators project will act as a catalyzing force in the community, raising awareness of issues, engaging in community action, developing collaborations and raising funds to carry out proven solutions to improving our community.
Patrick Jones, director of the EWU Institute for Public Policy and Analysis, and his team already maintain a data collection for Spokane and seven other eastern Washington counties. Funding has become possible by Washington state Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray upon agreeing that Kootenai and Spokane counties share a similar economy. The two sources of money for the Kootenai County Community Indicators Initiative project are Inland Northwest Community Foundation and Congress.
Alivia Body is regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor. Caryl Johnston from United Way of Kootenai County contributed to this report.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0
Home sweet — downtown?
Fifty years ago downtown America was its heart. Locals frequented downtowns to shop, eat, and fraternize, keeping them vibrant. Then the shopping mall was invented (or at least popularized), restaurant chains and big-box stores proliferated, and downtowns lost their zeal as communities were drawn away from city centers and suburbia stole the limelight.
Communities responded differently, but many struggled to revive downtown America. Some have been piecemeal and without a long-term plan, others more structured, but most focused on special events and urban facelifts to revitalize struggling merchants. That helped, but hasn’t provided the hoped-for lasting interest.
Nevertheless, American downtowns are starting to turn around with a new anchor. City center expert Jamie Licko, founder of a Denver-based consulting firm, says it’s not retail, but housing — and to a lesser extent, jobs — that’s driving downtown’s resurgence.
If you think about the economy, it makes sense. Suburbia dragged farther out in the last few decades. People are sick of long commutes. Big houses cost more to keep as their values go down. Big strides have been made in urban crime, even in cities such as New York. Gas prices are daunting. Americans want to live, work, and play within a smaller geographical radius. Licko also suggests that Baby Boomers have a role; they’re more active than were their parents at this age, they like a vibrant day-to-day life, and they want it all easily accessible.
U.S. News quoted John McIlwain of the Urban Land Institute in February last year:
“The coming decades will be the time of the great reurbanization as 24/7 central cities grow and suburbs around the country are redeveloped with new or revived, walkable… town centers.”
McIlwain reports that certain demographic groups are driving the move-downtown trend. Older baby boomers (aged 55 to 64) want the combination of mixed-use settings and condominium life, close to their children, grandchildren, and a variety of activities. They and the younger or late-boomers (aged 46 to 54) are suffering from big housing market headaches — the real estate bust — and are increasingly seeing traditional home ownership as more trouble than it’s worth. Instead of downsizing homes after the kids grow up, younger boomers are showing buying trends that favor townhomes or condos, and some are renting. Factor in the cost realities of driving and strained budgets, and mixed-use downtowns are also increasingly attractive to young adults, who news reports consistently describe as those suffering most from the recession and loss of jobs.
Downtown’s future looks good. Licko says Generation Y and the Millenials (18 to early 30s) will just keep the urban trend going:
“Perhaps most they crave authenticity. This is a group that shuns, and will continue to, big box retail, sprawl, suburbia, and anything mass produced. They look for places that are real, and gritty, and have a story to tell.”
Downtowns and urban mixed-use neighborhoods fit the bill.
atangen | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 0