The housing boom in Post Falls is showing no signs of slowing.


Two major housing projectswith a total of a whopping 2,700 planned unitsare under way, and a third about 900-unit project is slated to go before the Planning Commission next month. Meanwhile, residential building permits filed with the city of Post Falls this year are running neck and neck with last years record pace, and could be even higher because swamped city officials cant keep up with the applications they receive.


Although growth is nothing new in Kootenai County, whats been seen in Post Falls is even more dramatic than in other areas of the county, says Gary Young, the citys community development director.


According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Post Falls population soared by more than 190 percent from 1990 through 2004, from just about 7,350 to about 21,350. By comparison, fast-growing Coeur dAlenes population jumped more than 56 percent in that same period.


The city of Post Falls has been steadily adding about 1,000 people in population every year for the past 12 or 14 years, says Young.


One of the recent developments thats fueling residential growth in Post Falls is the about 900-unit Fieldstone project, where theres a waiting list of prospective buyers for many of the lots, says Ryan Olson, marketing director for Viking Construction Inc., of Hayden.


Viking and Hallmark Homes Inc., of Coeur dAlene, are about halfway through completion of the three- to-four-year project.


Although there are some multifamily units, most of the 900 units are single-family homes, says Olson.


Viking and Hallmark each have bought about 50 percent of the land there from Prairie Falls LLC, of Coeur dAlene, says Terry Jensen, executive assistant for Tim Mueller, owner-broker of Tomlinson Black North Idaho, the marketing arm for the project. Mueller is also the managing partner of the Fieldstone property, says Monte Risvold, vice president of Tomlinson Blacks North Idaho commercial division.


Fieldstone, which is being developed in three phases, is located generally from just north of Poleline Avenue to south of Prairie Avenue, between Idaho and Greensferry roads. Home prices there start at about $150,000.


Another much-larger development, called Montrose, began in 1998 in west Post Falls and, when completed, will include about 1,800 living units, plus some commercial units, on about 550 acres, says Jason Wheaton, president of Greenstone Homes, of Liberty Lake, which is building the homes, the multi-family units, and some of the commercial buildings.


Greenstone Corp., a related, but separate corporation, is doing the infrastructure work on the project, which is expected to last 20 years, says Wheaton.


The two divisions are separate business entities not owned by any one organization, Wheaton says.


The project is to include an estimated 1,300 homes, currently ranging in price from about $175,000 to about $500,000, with an average price of about $200,000.


To date, Greenstone has completed about 400 homes there, and now plans to build about 100 homes a year in the development, Wheaton says.


He declines to put a dollar value on the overall project, although at an average price of $200,000, the 1,300 homes planned there would total $26 million in value, not counting the other 500 multi-family units, and unknown number of commercial buildings.


Wheaton says it is too premature to provide a breakdown of what the multi-family units will look like.


Montrose is located north of both Interstate 90 and Mullan Avenue, west of Chase Road, and south of Poleline, says Sharon Koser, spokeswoman in the Post Falls building department.


To keep the development from becoming a rental community, Wheaton says Greenstone has adopted an anti-speculation clause there that requires most of the homes to be owner occupied.


The people who buy and dont live in a home are less likely to take good care of it, he says.


That, says Wheaton, prohibits speculators from buying homes in the development and then renting them out, something he says has become prevalent in North Idaho. He says that Greenstone Homes could double the volume (of homes) it sells if it didnt have the anti-speculation clause.


A third large development, to be called Tullamore, will be proposed to the citys Planning Commission in October.


Owned by Tullamore Properties LLC, which is managed by Vision First LLC, of Eagle, Idaho, that about 250-acre project calls for about 380 single-family units and about 520 multi-family units, plus office and retail development, says Ken Elliott, legal counsel for Vision First. The development should be built within the next five years, says Elliott.


It would be located between Poleline and Prairie avenues, on the west side of state Route 41.


When completed, Tullamores estimated value will be between $35 million and $50 million, says Risvold, who handled the recent purchase of the proposed project by Vision First.


In addition to the three larger projects, Post Falls has other housing projects under way as well.


Just getting started at the old Louisiana-Pacific site near the Spokane River are two, 20-unit condominiums being built as part of the Post Falls Landing project by developer Harry Green. That project is valued at about $3.5 million, says Koser.


Another about $5 million, 40-unit, 10-building condominium project is under way along Bay Street next to Black Bay Park. Called Black Bay Village, that project is being developed by Northwest Developers Group Inc., of Coeur dAlene.


Yet another housing project on Williams Street called Aspen Apartments will consist of five, four-unit apartment buildings and is being developed by Henderson Properties, of Laverne, Calif., says Koser. She doesnt yet have a value on that project, she says.


Record permit numbers


The volume of single-family building permits in Post Falls remains strong.


Last year, the city recorded a record 594 permits for single-family homes. Through the first eight months of this year, it has recorded more than 70 percent of that total, or 429 permits, putting it on track to meet or break the 2004 record, says Koser.


This years numbers could be higher, says Mary Beth Cole, who is also from the building department. With only three planning inspectors working there, Cole says the permits department is short-staffed and that more than 80 additional single-family building permits are currently being processed.


Vikings Olson appreciates the work the city staff does there. The amount of work they push through City Hall in Post Falls is amazing, he says.


Builders who do business in North Idaho say land available for development is much more abundant in the Post Falls area than it is in Coeur dAlene.


There is a lot of potential for development in Post Falls if the city wants to do some rezoning and make annexations, Wheaton says.


Tom Messina, owner of Messina Construction LLC, of Coeur dAlene, says, Theres tons of growth in Post Falls, and theyre annexing there on a daily basis.


Messina builds custom homes priced from about $300,000 to more than $1 million. He says hes built about six such homes in Post Falls, but has none under way there now.


Why Post Falls?


Greenstone Corp. CEO Jim Frank says there are several reasons why people are moving to Post Falls, including the quality of life associated with living in a smaller city. Located between Spokane and Coeur dAlene, Post Falls also is situated in the center of an economic region, with freeway access to employment centers, he says.


North Idaho has done a very good job of marketing the quality of life here, says Frank. Many people who move to this region have a definite preference to live in this area.


He and Messina both say that, generally, homes are more affordable in Post Falls than in Coeur dAlene, and that also has played a role in Post Falls popularity. Messina says that doesnt include homes located in the southern areas of the city along the Spokane River, which he says is much higher in price.


Convenient access to schools, golf courses, and walking trails are more bonuses to living in Post Falls, Olson says.


Until two or three years ago, people from the Spokane area were moving to Post Falls and buying homes there because they were less expensive, says Young. But he asserts that has changed, and entry-level homes in Spokane Valley are now priced about $2,000 less than the same quality of home in Post Falls.


Job growth in Post Falls also has been an attraction, Young says. In addition to Harpers Manufacturing, which changed its name to flexcel-Post Falls less than three years ago, new employers to the community such as Buck Knives Inc., 84 Lumber Company, and Sysco Food Services of Spokane Inc. have added to the economy, he says.


Young says in 2004 alone the assessed values of Post Falls property increased by 28 percent over the previous year.