By RALPH BARTHOLDT

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — A 5-acre parcel at the corner of Ramsey Road and Prairie Avenue will be annexed into the city with a zone change if Coeur d’Alene City Council members approve the plan following tonight’s public hearing.

The piece, part of the estate of Marvin P. Keough, belongs to several small chunks of land within the greater city limits of Coeur d’Alene, which are under county jurisdiction.

That could change after tonight’s public hearing at 6 in the basement of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.

"There are a few spots that create what I call Swiss cheese or doughnut holes," city planner Sean Holm said.

The Keough farm parcel includes a home along Ramsey Road and the remaining acreage south and west of the residence.

It is part of the same doughnut hole at the northern edge of city limits that included agricultural property at 1600 W. Prairie Ave. — now an Exxon station — which was recently annexed.

Under its current designation, the property, which includes a swath of pasture, a gathering of evergreens, storage buildings and a cell tower, can be used for farming and forestry with a minimum lot size of 5 acres.

If the parcel is annexed by the city and the zoning changed to a commercial designation, uses may include 17 residential units per acre, as well as hotels, gas stations or churches, banks or convenience stores.

The city’s planning commission unanimously approved the plan. The city will consider objections from at least one couple who oppose the annexation on the grounds that it calls for setting aside a parcel of former prairie for development, according to neighbors Wayne and Dawn Antrim.

In a letter to the city, the Antrims, who live on Prairie Avenue, wrote: "There has got to come a point when we stop focusing on growth, and start focusing on maintaining what we have. And I think we have reached that point already."

According to Lake City Engineering, the firm tied to the project, the owners plan to develop the land as commercial property.

Any plan should conform to the existing character of the area, according to a planning commission report.

"The development pattern in this area is mixed with established subdivisions," according to the report. "Development in this area will continue to grow in a stable manner."