Urban Renewal Districts 

An urban renewal district (URD) is a specific area identified by a city as needing economic development or revitalization due to conditions such as deteriorated buildings, inadequate infrastructure, or declining population. The primary goal of a URD is to stimulate investment, improve public infrastructure, create jobs, and enhance the overall quality of life in the area. The typical lifespan of a URD is 20 years.  

Post Falls Urban Renewal Districts  

Post Falls has undertaken 10 renewal district projects over the past 34 years, seven of which have closed. The two active projects are the Post Falls Technology District, which began in 2018, and the Downtown Districts which began in 2021. 

“We have several participants in the Technology District — the Prairie Shopping Center project — Super One Foods just announced they’re going in there — and a multi-use commercial building that is nearing completion,” PFURA Executive Director Joe Johns said. “Then, south of Prairie, there's the Prairie Medical Campus. It's a consortium of participants under the name of North Idaho Health Care Holdings, LLC. They are doing the 40-acre Kootenai Health Prairie Medical Campus project.” 

The Downtown District has several ongoing projects as well. 

“ANA Construction and Development is doing the Millworx residential project on the old Idaho Veneer site,” John said. “Camkels, LLC., is constructing the Nanna Building across from City Hall. The ground floor has commercial space — the upper stories are residential units. They've agreed to participate with urban renewal for some of the infrastructure costs associated with that building and in the alleyway behind it.” 

John said the city also has a parking plan for the downtown district, implemented in 2018 and that frontage improvements on several projects are underway. 

A June 4 Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency (PFURA) impact assessment revealed that two recently closed urban renewal districts, the Center Point and East Post Falls, generated $745 million in new taxable value during their 20-year lifespan, transforming underutilized land into thriving commercial, industrial, residential, and employment centers.  

The combined assessed property values grew from $63.8 million at district creation in 2001 to more than $809 million by district closure in 2022, eventually surpassing $1 billion in 2023. 

“These districts demonstrate how strategic public infrastructure investment can create long-term economic opportunities for the entire community,” Johns said. “The benefits did not stop when the districts closed—they continue to generate jobs, business activity, and tax revenue today.” 

According to the impact assessment, between 2016 and 2022, PFURA invested approximately $28.1 million in transportation, sewer, utility, and development-support infrastructure using tax increment financing (TIF), without relying on city general fund dollars or increasing property tax rates. The report estimates that those investments helped leverage more than $561 million in additional assessed value growth during the same period — a 20-to-1 return on public investment. 

Key infrastructure projects included the Greensferry Road Overpass, the Beck Road/I-90 interchange corridor, major sewer system upgrades, and transportation improvements that unlocked private development opportunities throughout the city. 

The report also found that employment within the former district boundaries expanded significantly. Combined employment across the districts grew from 1,869 jobs in 2003 to 3,952 in 2024, while the number of employers increased from 116 to 243. 

Coeur d’Alene Urban Renewal Districts 

The city of Coeur d’Alene’s Urban Renewal Agency, ignite cda, has formed three Urban Renewal Districts: The Lake District (1997), the River District (2003), and the Atlas District (2018). A possible fourth district, the Health Corridor District, is under consideration.  

The Lake District is closed. The River District expires in 2027. Some of its major projects include Riverstone West, the US Bank Call Center, Senior Housing, Mill River, and the Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization. The Atlas District, ignite cda’s newest district, consists of 68 acres and includes the former Atlas Mill site. The City purchased the eastern portion (47 acres) of the old mill site and transferred that property to ignite cda for redevelopment.    

"It was an area that was unattractive to the private development community for a long time,” said ignite cda Executive Director Will Osborne. “There were complications due to railroad right of ways and the existence of Mount Hink, which was an enormous undertaking. It was a large deposit of mill tallings and organic material that made the soil unsuitable.” 

The combination of which, Osborne said, made it a daunting and scary thing for private investors, especially the railroad. So, the city ended up buying the land and giving it to ignite with the caveat that the waterfront had to remain public.  

“That obviously created a lot of challenges with the finances because that devalued the property a lot,” Osborne said. “But it was a good thing to do because it was for the public good. It's turned out primarily because of the growth in real estate values in the area and the fact that the tax increment far exceeded the estimates at that time, and we've been able to make that project really successful.” 

Sandpoint Urban Renewal 2012 Funded Projects 

• Provided $40,000 to assist North Idaho College in moving into the Sandpoint Events Center. 

• Provided $10,800 for the installation of ADA-compliant benches on Second Avenue. 

• Provided $100,168 for improvements to the Windbag Marina. 

• Provided $226,928 for improvements to the Sandcreek Moorage – Boardwalk 

• Provided $53,000 to the Panida Theater to help renovate the theater's interior and exterior and to purchase a digital projection system.   

• Provided a $20,899 grant to the University of Idaho to conduct a feasibility study of the greenhouse vegetable industry.   

Sandpoint Completed Projects 

•Funded $11,500 for Explore Sandpoint bike route signage. Completed in 2014. 

•Funded $37,552 for a sidewalk from Division to Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School (part of a Save Routes to School project). Completed in 2007. 

•Funded $146,493 towards the reconstruction of Third Avenue, between Cedar and Main. Completed in 2010. 

•Funded $3,750 towards the replacement of pilings at the City Beach swim area. Completed in 2009.  

•Funded $6,834 toward public art at the roundabout, Larch and Boyer. Completed in 2011. 

•Funded $428,132 for the reconstruction of Second Avenue, between Pine and Main. Completed in 2011. 

• Granted $160,000 to North Idaho College to facilitate their relocation to Sandpoint. Completed in 2014. 

• Funded $300,000 for public improvements (water, sewer, utilities, sidewalks) towards the KSZT Project located at Sandpoint Airport. Completed in 2014.

• Funded $289,345 for repairs to the runway at Sandpoint Airport. Completed in 2014.

• Funded $11,437 towards the purchase of a beach cleaner for City Beach. Completed in 2013.   

    The Atlas District was formed in December 2018. It consists of 68 acres and includes the former Atlas Mill site. The city purchased the eastern portion (47 acres) of the old mill site and transferred that property to ignite cda for redevelopment. The graphic illustrates the district's 2021 development status. The western portion of the district is being redeveloped by the private sector for multi-family residential use.