COEUR d'ALENE — Potential funding from Coeur d'Alene's urban renewal agency, ignite cda, could launch a series of construction projects in the Four Corners area.

Last month, ignite's board of commissioners approved providing $1,019,000 to the city to help with efforts to transform the area surrounding Memorial Field into a multi-use, public park space. However, the matter must be approved by the city council prior to the urban renewal agency fully committing to dipping into the coffers of the Lake District, one of two urban renewal districts under its purview. A financing agreement for the Memorial Field companion projects is on the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting.

"It sounds good, but we just want to make sure the council is supportive," said Tony Berns, ignite cda executive director. "The board wants to make sure council has given authority to city staff to enter into this agreement."

If the city council gives the authorization, the ignite cda board has approved using the funds for seven different projects in the area. Among those projects are a new restroom facility, pickleball and futsal (a soccer variation) courts, a playground, and other general landscaping and lighting.

Other companion projects approved by the ignite board include a new skate park that still needs other partnership funding to be realized.

Berns told The Press on Friday there are also alternatives — things like making improvements to Memorial Field — that the city can pursue should the original project come in under budget.

"We've said for many, many years that quality public space in the community is an economic driver," Berns said when asked if the project meets the mission of urban renewal. "It helps with all of the elements of economic recruitment."

An agreement between the city and Kootenai County to construct a joint-use, 266-space parking lot just west of the county's downtown campus has served as a momentum builder for getting started on the companion pieces, said Coeur d'Alene Parks and Recreation Director Bill Greenwood. It has also, he added, caused the city to shift locations of some of the planned elements as a way to accommodate the larger parking area.

"All the original elements we presented are there. They're just shifted," Greenwood said.

Under the memorandum of agreement with the county, urban renewal funds cannot be used to construct the parking lot. However, Greenwood said he hopes the city can either begin work on the companion projects at the same time as the lot is constructed, or immediately after the parking lot is complete.

This move, according to Greenwood, would save money since it would cut down on the costs associated with staging and preparing for construction.

The deadline for completion of the parking lot is November of 2017, and Greenwood said he hopes the companion projects can be completed by the end of 2017. Without assistance from ignite, Greenwood said those projects cannot begin.

"If we can get them done together, wonderful," Greenwood added. "But if we run into something with the companion pieces, it's not a problem to delay those."