Meeting of River City minds

POST FALLS — Things are looking up for a downtown.

Creating a vibrant downtown has been on the minds of Post Falls staff and officials since 2005, and after a brief pause on plans in 2020, the city is back on track.

Monday night, members of the Post Falls City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency attended a workshop on the updated downtown plan. "Downtown" Post Falls was only officially declared the interior core in July 2019, Post Falls Community Development Director Bob Seale said. 

"We've come a long way since then, but it's been a long road to get here," Seale said. 

Last February, the city contracted to update the city center master plan, Seale said, and since then has collected feedback through an online survey with 164 public comments. Working with Welsh Comer and The Metts Group, the city developed amendments to the city center master plan and began looking into the design feasibility study. 

"Lord knows the population has changed. It's a different economy, and commerce is different. The demographics of the people moving in are different," said Matt Gillis, the principal planner for Welsh Comer.

In the new plan, the city hopes to extend the improvements north of Mullan Avenue, west of the Landings, and east of Idaho Street.

The territory wasn't the only thing that expanded — but the project list spans 26 different ideas, four implementation tiers, and over $64 million in costs. Alivia Metts, co-founder and economist for the Metts Group, said this is where urban renewal comes in. 

"Urban renewal has the ability to focus dollars into specific areas for development and public infrastructure," she said. "It provides an opportunity for potential commercial sales, driven by not only retail but the office sector."

Through the larger district, which would encompass the Post Falls Landings site and Idaho Veneer Company, Seale believed the city would add multiple aspects within downtown and connect more residents. 

Tier one projects include:

• The city center parking plan.

• A roundabout at Fourth Avenue and Seltice Way.

• Frontage improvements on the west side of Spokane Street.

• Improvements around the Idaho Veneer Company.

"Tier one is how we get development to happen, actually encourage that development and also make it feasible," Seale said. 

Gillis noted that one of the recurring wants from the public feedback was a central location where people can gather downtown. 

Post Falls Planning and Zoning Commissioner Ross Schlotthauer couldn't agree more. To him, an ideal downtown would include businesses, eateries, and community-focused areas. He noted that the community around City Hall and Spokane Street, arguably Post Falls' up-and-coming central hub, has seen little growth in the last 15 years. 

"I envision this center is for commerce, people, businesses, people walking into restaurants, a vital area that a huge mass of people who live in town can go to that is nice," Schlotthauer said. "If you clear the path for businesses to come in, then people will want to come in."

Councilwoman Linda Wilhelm also said she was surprised that a gathering center wasn't one of the first projects on the list. Despite Gillis saying it was a top answer, residents wouldn't see any work on the idea until tier three. 

Seale explained that because respondents like the concept, the planners felt it would be pertinent to wait until staff researched the community's wants and needs. He noted that further digging could lead to accommodating events like farmers markets, activities and events, or food trucks. All of which, Seale said, would require more time to raise funding. 

"You want to create a gathering place that meets everyone's needs, but it's tough when you're limited in funding and location," Seale said. 

City administrator Shelly Enderud also said that the city could always fund an item earlier if officials found funding. 

The master plan update should be finalized in March, Metts said, with the subsequent feasibility study in tow.

The urban renewal district plan should be drafted sometime in April and would need to be reviewed by the PFURA, Planning and Zoning Commission, and adopted by the City Council. Metts predicted the process could begin by June and carry on for 20 years if all goes smoothly.