COUNTY: Welcome to property nightmare

I have a property in the county that has a cloud on the title. I have been paying taxes on it for 20 years. The problem with the property is in regard to a side yard setback, what was 5 feet in the past when the shop was built changed to 10 feet.

Because the shop is an arch form or Quonset hut it’s not very attractive. I asked the building department about moving the shop deeper in the lot so it didn’t affect the front elevation of the new house. I was told that it would have to be engineered to be moved, so when the house plans were engineered I had the engineer include the foot print of the shop in the engineering. When the county inspector did the foundation inspection he questioned me on the shop foundation. I explained about picking the shop up and scooting it back on the new foundation.

When I went back into the county to get a permit to move the shop, I was told that the side yard setback had changed to 10 feet instead of 5 feet and I couldn’t move it. So now I had a shop foundation and slab I couldn’t use. I explained to them that I owned the adjoining house and lot, which didn’t make any difference to them. So to soften the front elevation I built a facade to match the house front elevation. It wasn’t beautiful but it was a better look than the Quonset hut. And because I had an engineered foundation and slab in the back yard I got engineered trusses and built on the foundation. As you would guess I didn’t get a permit because the foundation had the 5-foot setback instead of the new 10-foot that was required now. This created a cloud on the title which doesn’t give me clear title on the property.

So the resolve from Kootenai County Building and Planning, now Kootenai County Community Development, was to have me get annexed into the city of Coeur d’Alene because the city has a 5-foot side yard like the county used to have. The city was nice enough to allow me into their jurisdiction if I would pay an additional $1,000 a year in taxes. That would be without any city services, sewer, water, garbage. Because of my F in financial planning and retirement planning, I’m not current on my county taxes at this time, so the extra annual taxes would be a deal breaker.

For some reason the term Community Development doesn’t seem quite right in this instance. Would it be difficult to understand how people get sick of too much government involvement whether it be city, county, state or federal? I have been a self-employed general contractor all my life which would indicate a smaller than normal brain. I would have served myself better had I been a public servant. I’m an American Patriot and it would be safe to say that I’m pretty sick of too much government involvement in our lives, and it appears to be getting worse daily. I pray the future will be brighter with less government involvement.

SCOTT STEPHENS

Silver Beach