Recent discussions with City staff have made one point very clear: staff remain firmly committed to establishing multiple neighborhood connections into Indian Meadows and surrounding areas as Coeur Terre is built out.

Click here for a general overview of the discussion with CDA staff

With Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Coeur Terre PUD now moving forward, the next series of public hearings will shape how traffic, safety, walkability, and neighborhood impacts are addressed for decades. Many of the decisions the City must make, especially those involving street classifications, connection locations, and the application of the Development Agreement, are still open for public influence.

For that reason, resident participation is essential. The Planning Commission will review the Phase 1 PUD before seeing Phase 2, and that means commissioners may not have the full context of future neighborhood connections unless citizens bring it forward.

To ensure that growth occurs responsibly and in alignment with the commitments made during annexation, residents are encouraged to speak to the following priorities:

1. Revise and Prioritize the Industrial Loop Connection

The Industrial Loop connection can, and should, serve as the primary route for east–west traffic.
 However, its current design functions more like a residential/local street rather than the collector it needs to be.

Residents should advocate for:

• A design revision that encourages more traffic to use Industrial Loop rather than Appaloosa or Nez Perce
• Clear acknowledgment from the City that Phase 2 will significantly impact circulation, even though Phase 2 details will not be presented to the Commission during the Phase 1 hearing. 

A properly designed Industrial Loop connection is important to help relieve neighborhood traffic pressure.

2. Relocate the C-17 Commercial Area Further North
The current location of the C-17 mixed-use node directly west of Indian Meadows concentrates thousands of daily trips near existing neighborhood streets.

Relocating the C-17 node farther north would:

• Reduce cut-through demand on Appaloosa and Nez Perce
• Align trip distribution with the intended collector network
• Support safer conditions for long-established residential areas

3. Enforce Section 4.3 of the Development Agreement

Section 4.3 clearly states that connections should serve emergency access and that through-traffic should be discouraged.

Residents are asking for:

• A clear interpretation of how 4.3 will apply to subdivision designs
• Measures that actively discourage cut-through traffic
• Walkability and safety improvements at the Appaloosa and Nez Perce connection points before they open
• These provisions need to be honored as written to prevent unintended impacts on existing neighborhoods.

4. Correct the Street Classification & Setback Issues That Will Push Traffic Into Neighborhoods

The Phase 1 PUD proposes 10-foot front setbacks for the single family development, and the current street hierarchy treats Industrial Loop as a local residential street while Appaloosa and Nez Perce are positioned as collector/arterial outlets. These issues are directly connected, and together, they will push Coeur Terre traffic into existing neighborhoods:

How the Two Issues Combine to Create a Problem

• 10’ front setbacks will cause cars to overflow onto the street.
• This reduces usable road width inside Coeur Terre and creates internal congestion.
• Drivers will naturally bypass those narrow, parked-up streets and divert to the nearest wide, unobstructed streets.
• Those streets are Nez Perce and Appaloosa.
• This redirection of traffic violates the intent of Section 4.3, which requires through-traffic to be discouraged.

Meanwhile, Industrial Loop, which should function as a collector, is currently designed as a local-residential street, too narrow and too indirect to attract the volume of trips it needs to carry.

What Residents Should Advocate For:

• Reconsider the 10’ front setbacks so internal streets are functional and not overloaded with parked cars.
• Redesign Industrial Loop as the true collector/arterial connection (wider, more direct, and clearly prioritized).
• Ensure Appaloosa and Nez Perce function as local access streets, not the primary conduits for Coeur Terre traffic in Phase 2.

These changes work together to align the street network with the Development Agreement, basic roadway classification principles, and neighborhood safety standards.

Now Is the Time to Engage!

The future street network of Coeur Terre, and how it will impact Appaloosa, Nez Perce, and Indian Meadows, is being shaped right now. City staff continue to support multiple neighborhood connections, and the Planning Commission will be reviewing the Phase 1 PUD without seeing the Phase 2 street connections unless residents bring that context forward. Your presence matters!

📅 Monday, December 9
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Coeur d’Alene Public Library — Community Room