One more thing on the unenlightened ULUC opposition. Opponents need to recognize that being against the new code has the same effect as being for the old one. Until a new code is passed, the old one is still in effect. The purported “property rights” issues in the ULUC already exist — in the current code. But much worse. The reality is that Idaho state more »
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. But thanks to the efforts of the Larry Spencer wing of the local Republican Party, a long-overdue overhaul of local land use codes is in jeopardy because of irrational fear of an obscure and utterly irrelevant international document. First, some background. For the 85% of Americans who will have no idea what this uproar is about, Agenda 21 is a 20-year-old more »
Wow. I leave town and two weeks later, crazy takes over. From relentlessly sunny Southern California, I noted the recent and growing uproar over Kootenai County’s land use code re-write. And from here, where the sprawl goes on and on and on for miles, the growing opposition to Kootenai County’s Unified Land Use Code (ULUC) project appears to be either pointlessly obstructionist or appallingly uninformed. more »
Kootenai County is still on schedule to replace its hopelessly out-dated land use codes by this time next year. Kendig Keast Collaborative, the consultant hired by the County to assemble the re-write, has been moving forward, on schedule, with preliminary issue papers and draft “modules” of code language. The issue papers and draft code already released are available for ongoing public comment at the project more »
Understanding that the job is difficult, but also extremely important, the Kootenai County Commissioners are wasting no time getting on with the business of re-writing zoning and development regulations. On Friday and Saturday, we were pleased to be invited to participate in an interview process for the consultant team to be hired to rewrite the land use laws in the County. The Commissioners signaled that more »
The ink is barely dry on the new Kootenai County comprehensive plan, but it’s been in the works so long, it’s as if we can’t stop working on it. The next step, of course, is for the county to re-write the zoning and development regulations to come into accord with the new plan. County officials and local leaders are evaluating potential consultants to help with more »
It’s done! Although I’m semi snowed-in today, I got word from the Kootenai County Commissioners that the long-awaited Comprehensive Plan is complete. Signed into official status as of this morning. According to the press release sent by the County, the process that formally began more than four years ago, was completed with three Commissioner signatures on the document this morning. The press release describes the more »
At a deliberation this morning, postponed from several weeks ago, the Kootenai County Commissioners signaled that they are nearing completion of the long-awaited comprehensive plan. After some unpublicized “workshops” with officials from cities on the prairie, which had criticized the plan at the most recent hearing, the Commissioners agreed to several tweaks to the most recent draft to accommodate some of their concerns. At this more »
Kootenai Environmental Alliance provided comments, again –and hopefully for the last time — on the long-awaited draft comprehensive plan revision for Kootenai County. In the works for four or five years at this point, the draft could gain final approval by the County Commissioners next month. The hearing was nowhere near as lengthy, or heated, as previous hearings on the plan. Commissioners Tondee and Currie more »
The fourth (count ‘em!) draft of a new Kootenai County Comprehensive Plan is set for yet another hearing Tuesday at 5pm. However, with the same three commissioners who took a year to edit draft number three, now considering their own draft number four, we don’t expect them to make major changes, or take the time to do major re-writes. KEA will certainly attend the upcoming more »
