POST FALLS — The Post Falls City Council settled into Tuesday night’s meeting with its newest council members and everything was business as usual.

Three new members, Nathan Ziegler, Kenny Shove and Josh Walker, were sworn in in January. Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson is hopeful as the council moves forward and the new members present Tuesday, Shove and Ziegler, did a decent job, he said.

Growth and zoning issues took center stage with a presentation by Rob Clark, who requested a zone change of 4.2 acres of his Prairie Falls Golf Course. Clark and his wife, Emily, purchased the golf course in August 2021. The Clarks have a long history of business success as the former owners of the Bell Tower Funeral Home and Sawmill Grill, both in Post Falls.

“Ever since I moved here I’ve been involved in residential and commercial projects and businesses. I’m very vested in Kootenai County and especially in Post Falls,” Clark said.

Residents since 1998, the Clarks have big improvements in mind that will please both locals and tourists, he said.

“First and foremost, I want to speak about sustainability,” Clark said.

During the golf course’s last 20 years of business, only two years have seen a profit of about $40,000 to $50,000. The rest of those years, the course was a “loss leader,” Clark said. Nine different owners have been in operation during that time.

“What would make me the person that could make the golf course a profitable, sustainable product, when these other nine people couldn’t?” Clark said. “I do know that my past experience and with the projects I’ve done, I have a different vision and a different drive to make something successful and something that the residents of Post Falls and other business owners will be proud of.”

Because of the North Idaho climate, the course closes an average of 100 days a year. Staff is still maintained and expenses accrue, even during weather closures. Clark’s plan would allow the business to thrive year-round, he said.

A zone change, from R-1 residential zoning to community commercial mixed, or CCM use, would allow construction of a 21,000-square-foot clubhouse. The two-story building would house a restaurant, bar, kitchen, six virtual golf bays, four suites to rent to other small business owners and a 17-room hotel on the second floor. The revision would also provide storage for golf carts, 178 parking spaces and an outdoor, event center lawn for weddings or tournaments.

“It would house everything that we need to make the golf course sustainable,” Clark said.

Clark hopes to lease the commercial suites, possibly bringing in a gym, salon or day spa, boutique options and a mini-mart for shopping, he said.

Past presentations to the Planning & Zoning commission received mixed reviews, he said.

“I know that there is some concern about the hotel. We have to meet all of the commercial regulations and standards. I don’t know how the hotel is not a positive, when it will be used year round,” Clark said. “I guarantee you I will use that hotel for my own family. They’ll use the virtual golf, and they’ll use the salon and they’ll buy stuff at the mini mart. This whole project sustains this golf course so that it stays. We don’t need any more houses in that beautiful green area that we have.”

Clark presented artist renderings of the proposed structure featuring outdoor patio dining, sidewalks and landscaping. One public comment received at Planning & Zoning was a concern about lighting being intrusive for neighbors. Clark's design includes low-profile sidewalk lighting that should alleviate that concern, he said.

The plan includes a similar concept to what the Clarks did with the Sawmill Grill, placing the building close to the sidewalk.

“People that are walking by, it’s an invitation to them. Come on in and be a part of it,” Clark said.

The Clarks want to create a commercial hub that encourages walking. “The person that is walking down the sidewalk can take 10 steps and they’re in the grocery store, or 100 steps and they’re down there at the restaurant. We wanted to bring this building out so that it’s part of the community.”

During public comments, several spoke in favor of the proposal. One resident was neutral and one in opposition of the project.

Local resident Rochel McKenna met Clark four years ago at Bell Tower Funeral Home when her first husband suddenly passed away. McKenna was impressed with the care provided by the Clarks during a very difficult time, she said.

McKenna is also impressed with the Clarks' business sense.

“I work for a $47 billion food manufacturer out of the East Coast. I run million-dollar reports all day long and understand the food industry quite well,” McKenna said. “I was amazed by this project. This is what Post Falls needs. I crunch numbers all day long and I look at ROI, the return on investment for the city of Post Falls.”

The project would require a development agreement limiting the building to two stories and would limit hotel occupancy to less than one month, said city planning manager Jon Manley. Changes requested during the planning and zoning phase have been addressed in the Clarks' plan, he said.

The Post Falls Police Department and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue are neutral on the proposal. The Post Falls Highway District had no comment.