Roosevelt Inn buyer proposing another Coeur d'Alene townhome project
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 days AGO
Cyclists on the North Idaho Centennial Trail pass by the Coeur d'Alene property on Tuesday where Blue Fern Management LLC is planning a townhome project.
BILL BULEY/Press
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | March 26, 2025 1:08 AM
The company planning to develop the Roosevelt Inn property is proposing another large townhome project in Coeur d’Alene.
Blue Fern Development, based in Redmond, Wash., is scheduled to meet with the city’s Design Review Commission on Thursday to outline a 57-unit development with 14 buildings.
“We’re all in on Coeur d’Alene,” said Benjamin Paulus, Blue Fern CEO, on Tuesday.
The 3-acre vacant strip of land is on the south side of Lacrosse Avenue and is west of Northwest Boulevard. It sits parallel to the North Idaho Centennial Trail and the Spokane River.
The proposed units would be three stories, with some having a livable attic above the third story. The units would range in size from about 1,000 square feet to 2,350 square feet.
Because the project scope is larger than 50,000 square feet and located within a C-17 district, design review is required.
The DRC will decide whether to approve the project design. The meeting is scheduled for noon at City Hall.
Paulus said if approved, the project is probably a year out.
Blue Fern's plan to develop the property involving the historic Roosevelt Inn was unanimously approved in October by the DRC.
The proposal calls for a 38-unit townhome complex named Wallace Townhomes on Wallace and Garden avenues off First Street. The proposal includes the preservation of The Roosevelt Inn on a separate parcel.
Blue Fern is working with a local party on the purchase of The Roosevelt Inn.
“We are preserving it like we said we would,” Paulus said.
Paulus said Blue Fern’s purchase of The Roosevelt Inn property should close soon, perhaps within the next 90 days, and construction could start this fall.
He said Blue Fern has a total of four projects in Coeur d’Alene.
“We believe in Coeur d’Alene,” he said.
When The Press reported last year that Blue Fern was in the process of buying The Roosevelt Inn with plans to clear the .63-acre property on the corner of First Street, demolish the Roosevelt and build townhouses, it was met with public outcry.
About 6,000 people signed an online petition calling for the structure to be saved.
The Roosevelt Inn is beloved in Coeur d'Alene. The brick building was constructed in 1905 and is the former home of the Roosevelt School. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
John and Tina Hough bought it about 25 years ago and have been operating a bed and breakfast. They have been trying to sell it for years so they can retire.
As part of the sale, the city reached an agreement with Blue Fern "to protect the Roosevelt Inn’s structure and its facade, and the mature vegetation and green space to the west of the structure."
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