The Coeur d’Alene City Council on Tuesday tabled a decision on municipal code changes regarding sidewalk installation. 

Councilors said, in part, they wanted more specific language in the amendments regarding what could trigger a sidewalk requirement when it comes to building permits and home repairs. 

“Don’t leave it for interpretation,” said Councilor Christie Wood. 

Councilor Dan Gookin said he wanted to consider other ways to fund new sidewalks without putting the burden on homeowners. 

“There’s a lot of things we can explore to get this done and do it in a manner that will make people happy,” he said. 

A staff report said that 30% of the city's neighborhoods do not have sidewalks because some areas were built before sidewalks were required.

This has left many people walking in streets in older neighborhoods, like Sanders Beach, mixing vehicles with pedestrians.

“It truly is a life safety issue,” said Councilor Dan English.

Two issues were before the council.

One was an ordinance amending sections of Municipal Code to remove the exceptions for sidewalk construction in designated Priority Corridors, which are primarily routes to school. 

The amendments would require developers/owners to construct sidewalks "regardless of the distance to the nearest sidewalk or any other exemption." 

The other involved code amendments to increase the threshold for curb and sidewalk installation to $45,000 based on the value of a building permit. 

As it stands, city code requires a property owner to install curb and sidewalk, if none exist, when pulling a building permit with a valuation of $30,000 or more.  

A staff report noted, “the cost of construction has risen substantially making the cost of the requirement to install curb and sidewalk disproportionate to the current threshold."

It went on to say that "projects with low valuations and numerous sidewalk repair requirements can be a burden on property owners, sometimes doubling the cost of a small project."

Staff said basic improvements like replacement of roofing, siding or windows, even if over $45,000, would not "typically" trigger the sidewalk rule. 

“These proposed Code amendments will reduce the burden on property owners while meeting Federal requirements,” the staff report said. 

But councilors were concerned the language in the proposed amendments regarding maintenance and repairs was vague and could lead to subjective decisions as to whether a homeowner had to pay for sidewalks. 

"If it's not written, it's not there," Wood said.

Gookin said he was told the cost of a new sidewalk could be about $10,000, which would be a substantial extra cost for a homeowner.

“I don’t want to tell people, ‘Here comes government and by the way, you have to do this,'" he said.

He also questioned if sidewalks would not maintained, people could still be forced to walk in streets.

"Will this really work?" Gookin asked. "There's no guarantees."

A sliding scale in regard to the value of a home versus the value of the project, rather than a set figure on a building permit, was also suggested before the sidewalk installation rule kicks in.

Councilor Kiki Miller said she would like to see homeowners offered incentives or discounts for putting in sidewalks and was concerned trees might have to be removed to make way for sidewalks under the proposal.

If someone pulled a permit, could it mean taking out a shade tree, Miller asked.

English said he would like the city to consider a budget for sidewalks. 

"I think we should be looking at what more can the city do,” he said. 

City staff will rework the code changes and return the proposal for City Council consideration next month.

    English