Three times could be a subdivision approval.

A 45-acre conservation subdivision proposed in Hayden is the third development pursued on that acreage, by a third different entity.

And after several years of studies, topography work and redesign, said applicant Chris Cheeley, it might just happen this time.

"There's just about no comparison. Almost nothing stayed the same," Cheeley said of his proposal versus those that came before.

Cheeley, owner of A Thousand Hills, LLC, is pursuing a special notice permit through Kootenai County for Hemlock Hills Conservation Design Subdivision, which would sit south of Hayden Lake on 45 acres of forested residential land.

The development would include 34 residential lots and seven open space conservation lots, fronted by Upper and East Hayden Lake roads.

"It's very private and hidden," Cheeley said. "Nearly all the homes would not be visible from the road."

The applicant admitted he started work on the project in 2005, when the local real estate market was booming.

By the time demand had slowed to a trickle, he said, he had invested just too much in his vision to call it quits.

"My hope is the economy is turning around and that one day again, the construction industry will be healthy in our marketplace," he said.

Cheeley, a Coeur d'Alene native, said he has spent the last several years redesigning the subdivision layout, as well as conducting geotechnical studies and landscaping the property to allow for mapping.

He plans for 75 percent of the lots to sit on parcels between 5 and 20 acres, and the rest on higher density, half-acre lots.

About 22 percent of the subdivision will be dedicated to green space, according to the project application, preserved in an open space easement.

"It could develop into being a really beautiful neighborhood," Cheeley said.

Several neighbors of the site have expressed concerns about potential impacts.

Robert Brown, an East Upper Hayden Lake Road resident, stated in a letter that the project still needs improving.

"My comments last time this subdivision was presented were that it would cause a lot of extra traffic on an already over-used road system," Brown wrote in a letter to the county. " ... I don't see how emergency vehicles would be able to get up to any of the homes, let alone turn around or maneuver once there."

Staff at Coeur d'Alene School District 271 reported that in an area already seeing growth, the new development could challenge the district's stability.

"In all likelihood, additional enrollment will require new facilities, or expansion of current schools," wrote Steve Briggs, district chief financial officer, to the county. "We recognize that under current statute this may require levying of additional taxes on our patrons."

Cheeley recognizes neighbors' concerns, he said. He assured every issue will be considered.

A traffic impact study by Welch Comer revealed the impact should be minimal, he added.

"The likelihood is all that traffic, once it exists on Hayden Lake Road, is pretty self contained within that property," he said.

Cheeley doesn't expect Hemlock Hills inhabitants will create a great burden on the school district.

Of the 34 lots, some will only be summer homes, he predicted, and some won't have school-age children.

"I can't imagine that small of an impact being significant at all," he said.

The subdivision would be built in two phases, Cheeley added. He believes construction would start in a couple years, or whenever the market starts to improve.

Subdivisions have been proposed on parts of the 45 acres before, once in 2004 by Spirit Lake developer Larry Spencer, and again in 2005 by Hemlock Hills, LLC.

Spencer's subdivision, Cedar Hills, was proposed for 16 acres now owned by Cheeley. The project never made it to a hearing before the county commissioners, Spencer said, because he withdrew the application over challenges with a water study.

Cheeley said he proposed a subdivision on 20 of the acres in 2005. He doesn't remember if he proposed it as Hemlock Hills, he said.

"I don't pay a lot of attention to names," he admitted.

Cheeley withdrew his 2005 proposal because he wanted to pursue improved road and lot design, he said.

Since then, he purchased the rest of the 45 acres, which are now included in the proposal.

"I didn't fully appreciate when I began this journey, just how much was involved in doing it well," he said.

The hearing examiner heard the request on Jan. 6 and recommended denial, due to inadequate information for determining compliance with requirements.

A public hearing before the county commissioners is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 in Room 1 of the county Administration Building.

"A lot of people aren't excited about any kind of growth," Cheeley acknowledged. "I'm hopeful as people do take time to look carefully at what we've proposed and what we've designed, that they will see that much care was taken to produce a product that I can be proud of."