The development arm of Athol, Idaho-based Merritt Bros. Lumber Co. plans to develop a sprawling, mixed-use urban village in Rathdrumwith up to 900 residential units as well as commercial and industrial properties and land for parks and schoolson 302 acres of property.


The development unit, JHM Investments LLC, will submit a plat request for the planned-unit development, to be called Merritt Park, within a year, says Scott Brown, of Hometown Development Inc., a Coeur dAlene-based land-use consulting company thats working with JHM on the proposal.


The property, which JHM Investments bought within the last few years, is located in the southwest part of Rathdrum, on undeveloped land bordered by Idaho Road to the west, Greensferry Road to the east, Burlington Road to the north, and a private road called Corral Court to the south. Its mostly open land that was once used to graze cattle, Brown says.


Merritt Bros. was founded in 1968 in Priest River, Idaho, where it operated a mill that it sold to Idaho Forest Industries in 1993. The company operates a lumber mill in Athol that it opened in 1990, and a finger-joint lumber plant, which makes standard lenghts of lumber out of shorter pieces, it opened there in 1995.


As envisioned, Merritt Park would have several districts, including 125 acres of land zoned for low-density residential use, 100 acres for medium-density residential, 12 acres of high-density residential, 23 acres of commercial property, and 20 acres of land zoned for light industrial, Brown says.


On June 12, the city of Rathdrum approved a rezone request by JHM Investments that potentially would allow those uses in the proposed planned-unit development, which would be the largest such development ever in Rathdrum, says Chris Riffe, the citys planning and zoning administrator. Rathdrum, which had about 6,300 residents in 2006 and is located north of Post Falls, annexed the property in 1994 and originally zoned it for light-industrial uses.


In addition to the residential, commercial, and industrial land in the development, JHM Investments would designate 12 acres there for parks and open space and 10 acres for public uses, such as for a school, fire, or police station, Brown says.


The developments envisioned 700 to 900 residential units wouldnt be the maximum density the zoning would allow, Brown says.


There will be a transition area around the perimeter of the development, where the lots will be quite a bit bigger than 10,000 square feet, the minimum for a low-density residential zone, he says.


Brown says the portions of the development that would be designated for commercial and light industrial uses likely would serve small, startup businesses.


Usually, light-industrial and commercial development is done in response to the housing-development component, he says. Right now, the city has enough industrial and large-scale commercial property. The last thing we want to do is detract from it.


The development would require city sewer and water extensions.


Were working with the city and a consortium of other property owners to fund and construct a new sewer lift station for Rathdrum, Brown says.


Riffe says Rathdrum has the capacity to provide sewer service to the development once a lift station is installed. The citys domestic water supply system, however, would need to be upgraded to serve the proposed development, he says.


Were updating our water and sewer master plan, Riffe says. Whatever water and sewer facilities they will need, they will have to pitch in on.


Brown says its premature to attach a dollar value to the proposed project.


When we bring it to the city for a preliminary plat, well have everything estimated to the dollar, he says.


Brown estimates it will take eight to 12 years to complete building on the lots. JHM may choose to build on some of the lots and sell some lots to builders, he says.


The developer isnt worried about the timing of the proposal in regard to the recent slowdown in the real estate market in Kootenai County. He says he expects consumer confidence in the market for new homes to improve after the elections.


The development will be marketed by the commercial division of Coeur dAlene-based Century 21 Beutler & Associates, Brown says.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.