HAYDEN - It's the next in what's been a lot of steps, but Glen Lanker is optimistic about his vision.

That vision, first proposed in Hayden in 2005, is to create a mixed-use neighborhood development called Hayden Canyon, with 1,823 residential units on 612 acres between Government Way and Strahorn Road, most of it north of Lancaster Road.

It's been a tough road to get it this far, having come before and been defeated at the city level in preliminary stages, but through compromise and partnerships, the project is ready to move forward.

"I think it has the potential to be a much-loved amenity for Hayden residents, just as Tubbs Hill is for Coeur d'Alene," said Lanker, architect and operating partner of Hayden Canyon Land, LLC.

That's because the heart of the development is what is going to be preserved - Hayden Canyon, around which Lanker will develop walking and equine trails, as well as a trout pond for public use.

Two hundred and forty seven acres - 40 percent of the total, and 1 1/2 times the size of Tubbs Hill - is proposed as dedicated open space. The usual open space allotment dedicated from an annexed property is 10 percent.

Also, requirements of approval are a developer-funded community park, athletic fields, and land for a school site and sheriff's department substation. Other features will include a community center accessible to all area residents. It would transform an abandoned sandpit in the process as required by the 2008 city annexation agreement.

"I'm particularly excited about the community campus," said Lanker. "All of this is for use by the public and residents alike."

After years in the making, the plan is coming back to the city for approval.

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the planned unit development plan review will go before the Hayden Planning Commission at the Kootenai County Administration Building in Coeur d'Alene. It will be a public hearing, but not the last step in the process regardless which recommendation the commission gives.

Some neighbors remain skeptical.

In 2O08, opposition was strong as the developer attempted to annex the one-square-mile property into city boundaries. City Council denied the annexation requests before bringing the topic back to the council, which approved it later that year since the development could have been done through the county.

In 2006, Lanker withdrew a similar proposal as the city updated its comprehensive plan.

"It really attempts to change the way we live up here," said Rick James, who opposes the project and lives on Strahorn Avenue, near Lancaster Avenue where many of the residential units would be developed.

James said he moved to the county to avoid major development. Now that a neighborhood development could be coming, he's worried the impact would affect nearby Kootenai County residents more than city residents, so the Hayden City Council wouldn't be as inclined to consider them.

"This would do the exact opposite of what the city's master plan is trying to do by drawing business outside of the downtown into a county area," he said.

Some other neighbors think the development would bring in too much traffic, and also flood the residential and commercial market since so many properties are vacant as it is. Coeur d'Alene Airport officials didn't express an opinion either way, but said the development's location a mile and a half away means airplanes could legally fly 30 feet from rooftops. One flight line ascends over the top of the highest point on the development.

"If everything is working correctly they won't come close," said Greg Delavan, airport director. "But we don't try to protect for the best-case scenario, we protect for the worst-case scenario."

A number of calculations and formulas, such as safety margins, can determine the number of flights for an airport.

"It doesn't necessary mean it's a real hazard," Delavan said of the 140,000-flight-a-year airport being developed around. "It means it's a formula problem that may limit the number of flights."

Other residents believe the Hayden Canyon development will be a perfect fit.

The Idaho Transportation Department, emergency responders and law enforcement agencies, school districts and the Lakes Highway District offered written support for the plan.

Aside from residential units that will range from affordable workforce housing to $700,000 homes, the area would be a neighborhood with a village center, scaled shops, restaurants - a place where people can live and walk to work, with an emphasis on small, locally owned businesses.

An existing equestrian center near the property will be incorporated in the plan. That's where the equine trails would come in through the scenic areas, maintained by a nonprofit but open to the public.

The development style, called Traditional Neighborhood Development, has been successful in places like Bend, Ore., Buena Vista, Colo., and Daybreak, Utah. Hayden Canyon's long-term buildout would be up to 20 years, Lanker said.

"Of all the projects I've seen this one made a lot more sense. It was thought out for the community need at large," said Richard Smeltzer, a supporter who liked the variety of the development. "It wasn't a golf course community open only to the elite. This is going to be open to everyone with the riding trails and bike trails."

Thursday, the planning commission is expected to recommend approval or denial of the planned unit development. That recommendation will go to the City Council, in a public meeting but without more testimony.

If it's approved, lot lines would have to be established through the subdivision process that would go back to the planning commission for a public hearing. That recommendation would also go to the City Council, along with the final approval of the PUD.

"I'm passionate about Hayden Canyon because of the large amount of stunningly beautiful open space, its Traditional Neighborhood Design, its many community amenities, and potential for providing an economic boost for the city and region," Lanker said.

CANYON

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That's because the heart of the development is what is going to be preserved - Hayden Canyon, around which Lanker will develop walking and equine trails, as well as a trout pond for public use.

Two hundred and forty seven acres - 40 percent of the total, and 1 1/2 times the size of Tubbs Hill - is proposed as dedicated open space. The usual open space allotment dedicated from an annexed property is 10 percent.

Also, requirements of approval are a developer-funded community park, athletic fields, and land for a school site and sheriff's department substation. Other features will include a community center accessible to all area residents. It would transform an abandoned sandpit in the process as required by the 2008 city annexation agreement.

"I'm particularly excited about the community campus," said Lanker. "All of this is for use by the public and residents alike."

After years in the making, the plan is coming back to the city for approval.

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the planned unit development plan review will go before the Hayden Planning Commission at the Kootenai County Administration Building in Coeur d'Alene. It will be a public hearing, but not the last step in the process regardless which recommendation the commission gives.

Some neighbors remain skeptical.

In 2O08, opposition was strong as the developer attempted to annex the one-square-mile property into city boundaries. City Council denied the annexation requests before bringing the topic back to the council, which approved it later that year since the development could have been done through the county.

In 2006, Lanker withdrew a similar proposal as the city updated its comprehensive plan.

"It really attempts to change the way we live up here," said Rick James, who opposes the project and lives on Strahorn Avenue, near Lancaster Avenue where many of the residential units would be developed.

James said he moved to the county to avoid major development. Now that a neighborhood development could be coming, he's worried the impact would affect nearby Kootenai County residents more than city residents, so the Hayden City Council wouldn't be as inclined to consider them.

"This would do the exact opposite of what the city's master plan is trying to do by drawing business outside of the downtown into a county area," he said.

Some other neighbors think the development would bring in too much traffic, and also flood the residential and commercial market since so many properties are vacant as it is. Coeur d'Alene Airport officials didn't express an opinion either way, but said the development's location a mile and a half away means airplanes could legally fly 30 feet from rooftops. One flight line ascends over the top of the highest point on the development.

"If everything is working correctly they won't come close," said Greg Delavan, airport director. "But we don't try to protect for the best-case scenario, we protect for the worst-case scenario."

A number of calculations and formulas, such as safety margins, can determine the number of flights for an airport.

"It doesn't necessary mean it's a real hazard," Delavan said of the 140,000-flight-a-year airport being developed around. "It means it's a formula problem that may limit the number of flights."

Other residents believe the Hayden Canyon development will be a perfect fit.

The Idaho Transportation Department, emergency responders and law enforcement agencies, school districts and the Lakes Highway District offered written support for the plan.

Aside from residential units that will range from affordable workforce housing to $700,000 homes, the area would be a neighborhood with a village center, scaled shops, restaurants - a place where people can live and walk to work, with an emphasis on small, locally owned businesses.

An existing equestrian center near the property will be incorporated in the plan. That's where the equine trails would come in through the scenic areas, maintained by a nonprofit but open to the public.

The development style, called Traditional Neighborhood Development, has been successful in places like Bend, Ore., Buena Vista, Colo., and Daybreak, Utah. Hayden Canyon's long-term buildout would be up to 20 years, Lanker said.

"Of all the projects I've seen this one made a lot more sense. It was thought out for the community need at large," said Richard Smeltzer, a supporter who liked the variety of the development. "It wasn't a golf course community open only to the elite. This is going to be open to everyone with the riding trails and bike trails."

Thursday, the planning commission is expected to recommend approval or denial of the planned unit development. That recommendation will go to the City Council, in a public meeting but without more testimony.

If it's approved, lot lines would have to be established through the subdivision process that would go back to the planning commission for a public hearing. That recommendation would also go to the City Council, along with the final approval of the PUD.

"I'm passionate about Hayden Canyon because of the large amount of stunningly beautiful open space, its Traditional Neighborhood Design, its many community amenities, and potential for providing an economic boost for the city and region," Lanker said.