CDA to begin seeking community input on Atlas Waterfront

Coeur d’Alene officials will finalize purchase of the former Atlas Mill site by May 2018, and hope to utilize the 47-acre property to create permanent public waterfront access and spur economic development initiatives.

The community input process begins with a Community Organization Representative (COR) Vision meeting planned for February 2018. The COR Vision meeting will be facilitated by non-profit community organization CDA 2030. Groups are being identified based on themes within CDA 2030’s Community Vision document. Those identified so far are listed at cdaid.org/atlaswaterfront. Interested organizations not listed may contact City Administrator Troy Tymesen to be considered for inclusion at troy@cdaid.org.

The City’s urban renewal agency, ignite CDA, is seeking a consultant now to conduct financial and market feasibility analyses to determine what type of economic development options are possible on the Atlas Waterfront property. It is important for the community to understand costs associated with how much land remains public, including potential improvements to that property, and how economic development initiatives could help afford those costs. Hearing citizens’ vision and values will help assess these opportunities before any major decisions are made on the future of the site.

The COR Vision group meeting will not be the only public input opportunity. Several  community wide meetings will be scheduled to gather input on what residents hope to see on any public portions of the site thanks to “Vision to Action,” a facilitated exercise that is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program. The City is supported in this effort thanks to assistance from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.  More information on those meeting opportunities will be released as details are confirmed.