COEUR d'ALENE — The city of Coeur d'Alene pitched a downtown parking proposal to Kootenai County on Wednesday that aims to solve two ongoing problems.

The idea for the agencies to share parking along Northwest Boulevard near Memorial Field could eliminate traffic woes at the courthouse during business hours on weekdays and open more spots downtown during busy weekends and major events.

The concept made county commissioners consider further talks with the city about the possibility.

Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer said the idea is to allow county employees to utilize the possible parking area with a card during weekday business hours, when they would access the courthouse complex through a pedestrian underpass on Northwest Boulevard rather than walking across the busy road during rush-hour traffic.

Meanwhile, the parking area would also fill a need for more downtown parking during large events and weekends, Widmyer said.

"We see this as a win-win," Widmyer told commissioners during the meeting at the courthouse.

Shifting county employee parking across the street would free up parking for the public on the courthouse campus.

"Nothing has been designed (with a parking area), but this could be a partnership down the road," Widmyer said.

Commissioners have been wrestling with how to alleviate parking problems at the courthouse.

Three years ago, as part of a facility master plan, a seven-floor parking structure that would hold more than 500 vehicles was proposed, but that plan doesn't appear to have much momentum. That facility — described as "obnoxious" by Widmyer — would also obstruct views of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Commissioners said they are interested in giving Coeur d'Alene's parking idea a closer look because it would likely save the county funds that it would likely spend on parking anyway.

Widmyer said planners want to be careful to not create a parking area or structure that's not an eyesore while driving into downtown. He said one idea is to have the site that would accommodate about 300 vehicles sunken below grade and not necessarily with a roof.

"We don't want to drive down Northwest Boulevard and see a sea of cars," he said.

County Clerk Jim Brannon said the county has more than $15 million in unbudgeted funds for needs available, so the county's fix on parking would not raise taxes nor would the county go to voters with a levy. Commissioners will receive an updated fund balance report this winter that will help them prioritize projects.

Commissioner Marc Eberlein raised the question of how safe the parking area and an underpass would be. Widmyer said that was also a concern with the structure at McEuen Park, but that has been mostly alleviated with patrols and an ordinance prohibiting people from congregating there.

"You get a person here and there, but not an explosion of what people thought," Widmyer said.

He said cameras would also be considered to deter crime at the possible parking area along Northwest Boulevard.

Commissioner Dave Stewart said he's looking forward to further discussions with the city on the parking front.

"I like the idea of it being off our campus, but not very far away for employees," Stewart said. "Even if we eliminate a percentage of the employee parking spaces on this site, it would really help."