Rathdrum city officials finalized approval for the next phase of a subdivision that will add 26 housing lots to the fast-growing community.

The parcels are part of Timber Landing Estates, a development off State Highway 41 that will eventually comprise 122 single-family homes. City officials said the new homes — in the $250,000 to $300,000 range — are selling as quickly as they’re built.

It’s a continuing residential growth pattern that appears to have no end in sight, said Mari Davey, public works administrator and assistant planner for Rathdrum.

“Every time I have a contractor come in for another building permit it’s like, ‘where is everybody coming from?’” Davey said. “And it’s a variety of people; young families, retirees, people who are downscaling.”

The city’s public-works staff, separately, is reviewing a proposed 110-lot subdivision called Westwood Pines that’s planned for the eastern part of town off Highway 53 near Lakeland High School, Davey said.

A glimpse at Census Bureau data illuminates Rathdrum rapid growth. The city had 4,840 residents in 2000. That had grown more than 40%, to 6,826 people, in just a decade. Eight years later, in 2018, Rathdrum’s estimated population was 8,281. That’s total growth of 81% during the past 18 years, which equates to a compound annual growth rate of about 3% a year.

Relatively inexpensive land, proximity to Interstate 90 and public safety are among the reasons Rathdrum continues to lure new residents, Mayor Vic Holmes said.

Educational opportunities, such as the Lakeland Joint School District, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, the Kootenai Technical Education Campus and North Idaho College’s Parker Technical Education Center are also a big draw for Rathdrum, Holmes said.

Surging growth has affected the Lakeland Joint School District, which serves a large rural area in and around Rathdrum stretching from the Washington state line to the west to Bonner County to the north.

Brian Wallace, the school district’s chief financial officer, said enrollment was at a high: 4,600 students.

“The last couple years in particular we’ve definitely seen growth happening at a faster rate,” Wallace said. He estimated the district’s student population has increased around 2.5% per year during the past two school years.

“Most of the pressure is on our elementary schools,” he said.

Lakeland has six elementary schools, two junior highs and a high school.

Another aspect that attracts growth, officials said, is a strong emphasis on public safety.

Rathdrum police chief Tomi McLean said her department, which has 15 full-time officers, emphasizes a high community profile to alleviate crime.

“Part of it is citizens being vigilant—that helps our relationship with the public,” McLean said. “And being a smaller department, our officers can go out and be more proactive because they’re not always going from call to call.”

A recent report released by 2017 FBI Uniform Crime Report—the federal agency’s latest yearly statistics available—ranked Rathdrum as the seventh-safest Idaho city of the 24 cities with a population greater than 5,000.

Rathdrum was ranked as the safest mid- to large-sized city north of Moscow.

While its residential population continues to soar, Rathdrum in recent years has struggled with new commercial development.

But things are changing on that front, said Jane Pierce, executive director of the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Rathdrum is facing the same challenges right now that Post Falls did five years ago. We have a rapidly expanding residential draw with lots of land to grow,” Pierce said. “And now, we’re starting to see movement in commercial and industrial (development).”

A rustic eight-room lodge is planned for the mid-part of town along State Highway 53 and the former Stein’s grocery store near the intersection of highways 53 and 41 will soon be home to Bi-Mart. a regional retailer.

“We’re definitely moving in the right direction and getting some balance between residential and new businesses,” she said. “But these things take time.”

Residential activity has remained high in recent years, though it appears to be headed for a dip in 2018, according to Rathdrum’s building department

In 2017, the city issued 164 permits for single family homes. That increased to 178 in 2018. So far in 2019, 81 permits have been issued, Davey said.