COEUR d’ALENE — An ordinance regulating pocket housing developments was repealed by the Coeur d’Alene City Council Tuesday, with plans already in the works for its replacement.

Coeur d'Alene adopted its Pocket Residential Development Ordinance in 2007 as a way to encourage the development of otherwise unused land in the city. The council unanimously approved the repeal, which was suggested by multiple city departments that identified a series of issues with the guidelines, during its regular meeting.

Since the inception of the ordinance, more than a dozen "pocket residential developments" have been approved by the city, and more than 50 "pocket homes" — comprised of a mixture of single-family units, duplexes and fourplexes — have been constructed or started.

"Each time a project is described as 'Pocket Housing,' city staff is on guard and prepared to review a plan that pushes the pocket housing ordinance rules and sometimes the fire and building codes," said Hilary Anderson, community planning director, of the repeal.

The original intent of the ordinance, according to Anderson, was to develop infill areas, which are vacant or underused parcels in existing urban areas that are already developed. But, she added, the majority of proposed pocket housing projects are not for infill areas, and are instead areas where development could have occurred as a standard subdivision.

Prior to the approval vote, Councilman Dan Gookin discussed the unintended consequences of any law created by a governing body, and asked Anderson how city staff was prepared to tackle that challenge.

“We’ve learned what not to do this next time around and are going to address the issues identified by city staff,” Anderson said.

City staff will now begin drafting a new ordinance focused on infill housing and, according to Anderson, work closely with the development community and neighborhood groups while doing so. Anderson added options for affordable and market-rate housing developments will still be available while the new ordinance is crafted.

In other council news, the city council unanimously approved the preliminary designs for a public parking garage between Third Street and Fourth Street on Coeur d’Alene Avenue. The garage, which will cost an estimated $5.9 million, is being funded entirely by the city’s urban renewal agency, ignite cda.