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Project Update!
We have had a few community members inquire recently about the status of the plan, the joint workshop(s) and when we expect the public input opportunities to take place.
We understand there is a lot of interest in the Envision Coeur d’Alene project and when the public will have additional opportunities to learn more and provide feedback and ask questions.
Over the last three months, we have met with City Council and the Planning Commission to get direction on how to incorporate the previous public input from Fall 2020 into policy document and land use sections of the draft plan. City Council and the Planning Commission have provided that input and have directed City staff to come back to City Council and Planning Commission with refinements, which are currently underway. As a part of this effort, and as directed by City Council, additional opportunities for public feedback will be included in further developing the Draft Plan this Spring.
The current document was developed through extensive community feedback received at the kick-off event in late 2019, numerous public surveys, in-person meetings, virtual workshops, and guidance from the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and Focus Groups composed of volunteers representing a cross section of the Coeur d’Alene community. Technical studies have supplemented community input, which have included transportation and market/economic development studies, as well as cutting edge software scenario planning tools that analyzed potential long-range development assumptions. Important project information and materials are available on the Resources page.
The plan will continue to evolve as the City Council, Planning Commission, and the community provide additional input. COVID-19 has changed how we are able to meet in person, and there are still limitations on large public gatherings within Idaho (currently limited to 50). We have contacted NIC, which normally has the capacity to accommodate larger groups, but their public spaces will not be available to use until May 15 and they may extend that through the summer. We are currently evaluating other options for how to best engage the community for additional input on the plan. Some ideas have been a virtual Town Hall meeting for public input that includes a presentation and informational material, live polling and public comment period. Another idea has been an outdoor open house where people can view draft plan elements with opportunities to provide feedback and ask questions, but that would provide obstacles for audio and video, as well as distractions of the outdoors. We are also exploring having different times of day for the public input events. While we did mention a possible March meeting at the February Council meeting, we have realized since then that March is not feasible due to Spring Break and the additional time needed to work on the plan. No specific dates have been identified for the joint workshop with the City Council and Planning Commission or public input opportunities yet. We need to do some additional refinement on the plan, and we will soon be polling the CAC and Focus Groups to determine the best possible ways to engage the community moving forward. We are working diligently to produce a quality plan that can provide direction and serve as a tool for the years to come.
The Project Management Team is working hard to move forward diligently with refinement of the plan components. Additional time is needed to gather input from city departments and partner organizations on the proposed action items, and we will be working to refine the land use scenarios with input from KMPO, engineering, water, wastewater, police, fire, parks, etc. This is critical input before we move forward with community input and the joint workshops.
Once we have more details figured out about the joint workshop date(s) and public input opportunities, we will share information with the community, the CDA Press, and on this website so that people have ample notice of how and when to participate.
Feel free to reach out if you have additional questions!
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
Project management staff have received requests asking, "What is a comprehensive plan?", and, "What is the relationship between the City of Coeur d'Alene and CDA 2030?". Below is a short video explanation. This information was also provided on the FAQ page from the launch of this site. Please visit that page for more information.