(PHOTO AND STORY: KHQ.COM)
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Even on it’s worst day, the views atop Tubbs Hill are some of the best in Coeur d’Alene.
An almost “hidden gem” of the Gem state, it draws people from all over.
Now, the views aren’t what’s drawing concern, it’s the empty plot of land less than a quarter of a mile down the road.
“Where we’re at now is really asking the question of citizens ‘what should we do with the property? And should it be sold or not,’” Sam Taylor, the deputy city administrator for the city of Coeur d’Alene said.
On April 18, 2017, Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer put a poll on his Facebook asking, “should the city sell the land?”
In the post, the mayor says he wants to keep the land for public use.
Ignite CDA, an urban renewal project in Coeur d’Alene, owns the land.
"Our plan would be to just sell it on the open market and then have the development community work with the city on what type of project would work there. Currently it's zoned for residential and that's what we hope would stay there,” Tony Berns, the executive director for Ignite CDA, said.
If sold, Berns says the money from developers would go back to the city to fund other projects. But, if the two sides agree on keeping the land public…
"The property is worth $960,000 so they need to understand where the value lies,” Berns said “if the community wants to keep it in the public realm then maybe there's some middle ground where stakeholders, partners can work with the agency can work together to mitigate that loss of revenue in some manner."
The two sides say there’s no set time table on how long the public comment period will last, but they encourage people to do so.