Coeur Terre, an envisioned 2,800-unit residential and commercial community between Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, is the first mixed-use development planned by Kootenai County Land Co., but plans for it have been years in the making, says Melissa Wells, president of the development company.

Wells says designing a master-planned community of this size and scope took 10 years and the collaboration of multiple land planning, design, and architectural firms to get to this point, some of which include West Des Moines, Iowa-based BSB Design Inc.; Sausalito, California-based SWA Group; and San Clemente, California-based RSM Design.

The Coeur d’Alene City Council recently approved the annexation of 440 acres of agricultural land west of Coeur d’Alene that Kootenai County Land Co. plans to develop into a mixed-use neighborhood.

“We chose to create mixed-use communities because the zoning in these communities allows for more flexibility with lot sizes and lot coverage, which in turn allows for a larger selection of housing types and price points,” Wells says.

However, designing a mixed-used community requires some additional coordination between agencies and groups compared to designing strictly residential communities, she says.

Kootenai County Land Co.’s website shows several housing types are planned within Coeur Terre, including multifamily, urban townhomes, row homes, triplexes, and single-family homes. Nonresidential development includes a mixed-use activity center, two schools, 18 acres of parks, and four miles of walking and biking trails.

Wells says the mix of housing types will include homes for rent and for sale.

“Our goal is to have homes available to suit all types of new homeowners, whether they are just starting out, wanting to upsize, or even scale back,” she says.

Kootenai County Land Co. has previously developed residential communities in North Idaho, including the Parklynn, a 400-lot community in Post Falls; the Trails, a 450-lot subdivision in Coeur d’Alene; and Foxtail, a 186-acre residential subdivision in Post Falls.

“The development of Coeur Terre will occur in phases, gradually, over time,” Wells says of the full master plan. “The buildout process is estimated to take 20 to 30 years and will depend on market trends and community need.”

Building permit applications for the annexed portion of Coeur Terre haven’t been filed yet, and a general contractor for the first phase of the development hasn’t been named.

Kootenai County Land Co. is a subsidiary of Spokane-based real estate investment company Lakeside Capital Cos. Lakeside was founded by John J. Hemmingson, who also heads Coeur d’Alene-based Architerra Homes LLC and co-chairs Advanced Thermoplastics Composites LLC, a Post Falls aerospace manufacturing company.

Lakeside Real Estate Holdings IV LLC purchased the property in 2019 for development, which includes 1,000 acres of land in total.

Wells says the remaining 600 acres of land owned by Lakeside falls within the area of impact for the city of Post Falls, and the development company likely won’t request that Post Falls annex it for several more years while it follows a similar planning process as Coeur Terre.

Wells says Kootenai County Land Co. has plans for additional mixed-use development in both Idaho and Washington.

Project update:

Spokane-based husband-and-wife team Alexi and Sarah Matousek plan to open and operate a Ninja Nation franchise obstacle course arena in Spokane, says Alexi Matousek.

He is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Sacred Heart Hospital, in Spokane, and Sarah Matousek owns Spokane-based Bliss Health Solutions LLC, a health consultancy company. The two became interested in Ninja Nation when Alexi Matousek participated on American Ninja Warrior television show filmed in Boston about five years ago, he says.

He says the couple is searching for a location here that will accommodate the new venture. The facility would require a site between 11,000 and 15,000 square feet in size for the new Ninja Nation location.

Matousek says the future site will need a lot of open space and tall ceilings to accommodate the obstacle course equipment and activities.

The Spokane Ninja Nation will have multiple revenue streams, he says, including income from birthday parties, the main gym facility, open gym classes by age group, regularly scheduled classes, group events for corporations and schools, a mobile course, and facility rentals.

Obstacle course equipment will be switched periodically and offer three tiers of difficulty levels for patrons.

“The idea is to have versions of the obstacles that are approachable for all skill levels,” he says, adding that when he was a contestant of the obstacle course competition in Boston, he was impressed by the age and skill level of fans of the sport.

He says the Boston area had about five similar facilities available, and he wanted to bring access to the sport to the Inland Northwest.

Matousek says his goal is to have the mobile course available early this summer and an open facility by October.

Eventually, the couple plan to open three locations in the region to create a competition circuit and a local community for the sport.

“There are over 300 gyms in the U.S. now, so we’re kind of slow in the Pacific Northwest,” he says. “We’re looking to create a local community eventually with multiple sites.”