A Post Falls company has proposed building a $23 million, 99-unit condominium and town-house complex in the tiny North Idaho town of Pinehurst, located along Interstate 90 near Kellogg and Silver Mountain Resort.


The company, Silver Creek Development LLC, has submitted an application to develop 19 town-house buildings and five condominium buildings on a 13-acre parcel it owns that formerly was occupied by a Kampground of America (KOA) campground, says Jim Fox, a real estate agent for Century 21/Beutler & Associates, of Coeur dAlene, which would market the project.


Fox says current plans are to complete the project within the next two years, though the town of Pinehurst, which has a population of fewer than 1,700 residents, still must approve the development.


To be called Silver Creek, the complex would be constructed by High Wing Construction Inc., of Post Falls, whose owner, Bob Guindon, is a partner in Silver Creek Development LLC along with investors from California and Arizona, says Fox.


The project first came before Pinehursts planning and zoning commission in February, and the commission recommended in early March that the Pinehurst City Council approve it. The City Council initially declined to act on the commissions recommendation and referred the project back to the commission, asking for more information. If the commission recommends approval a second time, the project would go back before the City Council in mid-July, which could make a decision on it at that time, says Fox.


Carla Ross, Pinehursts city clerk, says, The mayor and City Council are very receptive to the project, but, quite honestly, we are a small town and not prepared for such a big development. This hit us all at once, and we want to take the time to do everything right.


Mayor Jim Huber says, I think theres a very good chance of approving the project if we get the guarantees weve asked for.


About the time the city asked Silver Creek Development for additional information on the project, Pinehurst arranged for an experienced planner to protect its interests as it evaluated the project, Ross says.


That planner, Cheri Howell, who formerly worked for Kootenai County and now does planning work for several smaller cities under the business name Cheri Howell Planning Services, of Coeur dAlene, soon submitted a list of questions to Silver Creek.


Fox says a packet of information supplied by Silver Creek Development to Howell to answer the citys questions included a U.S. Corps of Engineers wetlands study, detailed infrastructure plans, a traffic study, and letters from several agencies that serve the Pinehurst area outlining the anticipated impact the Silver Creek project would have on them.


Howell couldnt be reached to comment on the project.


Although Pinehurst is located in whats often called the Silver Valley, for its rich history of silver mining, the mountainous terrain is becoming more and more discovered by tourists, says Ross.


Fox says Century 21/Beutler & Associates already has a list of prospective buyers for the units that range from local residents to people who live outside of Idaho. He says some units would be used as primary residences, while others would serve as second homes.


The development site is about five miles west of the Silver Mountain gondola lift, in Kellogg, and only a two-mile drive from where a planned nearby golf course has been proposed near the city of Smelterville, Fox says.


He says 67 of the living units would be included in town-house structures that would include two to four units each, with the remaining 32 units planned in five condominium buildings.


The first phase of the four-phase project would include a pair of four-unit town houses, a 12-unit condo building, a recreation and clubhouse building, and a pool and spa, he says.


Phase one is a unique site that includes a clear stream up to 15 yards wide that wraps around the condominium site, Fox says. I anticipate that once the city officially approves the project, well sell phase one out in a week.


The town houses would be built on two levels with an additional loft, says Fox. They would include three bedrooms and three bathrooms, between 1,600 square feet and 1,700 square feet of living space, and would be priced at between $210,000 and $235,000.


The condos would be smaller than the town houses, averaging about 800 square feet of living space in ground-level units and about 1,100 square feet of space in second-story units, which would include lofts. Prices for the one bedroom-one bathroom lower units would start at about $130,000, while prices for the two bedroom-two bathroom upper units would start at about $170,000, Fox says.


Fox asserts the city of Pinehurst is within the South Fork Sewer District, which serves much of the Silver Valley, and, because of that, is already prepared for growth.


Contact Rocky Wilson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at [email protected].