COEUR d’ALENE — The need for attainable housing remains urgent in Kootenai County, according to Housing Solutions Partnership founding member and Coeur d'Alene City Councilor Kiki Miller.

“We want the community to know that somebody is paying attention and doing something about it,” she said.  

During a recent housing and growth workshop, Miller said there is an estimated $182,000 gap between what households earning the area's median income can afford and the region’s median home price. 

Coeur d'Alene Regional Realtors lists the median single-family home price in Kootenai County at $552,500.

Nearly 27,500 additional housing units are needed by 2030 to accommodate the county’s growing workforce, Miller added.

It’s a tall order, one that HSP and other stakeholders have been working to address for five years. 

The HSP is a regional collaboration focused on developing data-driven solutions and advocating for housing solutions that involve cities, counties, and other stakeholders.

“Attainable means it’s both affordable and available to the local worker,” Miller said. 

Several projects are underway in an attempt to close that gap, with over 660 attainable housing units moving through various stages of the development pipeline: 

Miracle on Britton (Post Falls) 

Twenty-eight homes at Miracle on Britton were bought by local workers, according to a presentation by the North Idaho Business Contractors Association executive director, Amie Pace.  

The homes range in price from $362,000 to $401,000. They have an owner-occupancy requirement and an income limit at the time of purchase to ensure homes remain permanently accessible to the area workforce buyers.  

Legion Park and Harvest Meadows (Post Falls) 

Priced in the low $400,000s, four of the eight Legion Park homes have already sold. These two- to three-bedroom homes are 1,200 to 1,400 square feet each. 

Harvest Meadows was approved in December and will be a development of single-family, cottage-style homes on 11 acres, across 85 lots.  

Trutina at North Place (Post Falls) 

When completed, Trutina at North Place will include 300 to 350 residential units for residents ages 55 and older. The cottage-style homes will range from about 1,000 to more than 1,600 square feet, with prices between $415,000 and $470,000. 

Solara Subdivision (Rathdrum) 

City Council approved the plat for 436 residential lots in November, about 21 of which will have a workforce housing designation, with preference given to teachers and staff in the Lakeland School District. Developer Hayden Homes is partnering with the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance to establish deed restrictions like those used in the Miracle on Britton project.

The Arc (Post Falls) 

Geared toward first-time homebuyers, The Arc features 38 cottage-style homes priced at $375,000. Owner-occupancy requirements and resale restrictions are in place to help maintain long-term affordability. 

Atlas Attainable Housing (Coeur d’Alene) 

The proposed Atlas Attainable Housing development would bring 104 new homes to the area, including a mix of single-family houses, cottages, twin homes and townhomes. The project, which would be 100% attainable housing, was approved by the Ignite CdA board (Coeur d’Alene’s Urban Renewal Agency) in November. 

Requests for proposals from both nonprofit and for-profit developers are currently under development. 

The Bridge (Hayden) 

The Bridge plans include 56 townhome-style condos: two-bedroom/one-bathroom and three-bedroom/two-bathroom. About 11 of the units will be deed-restricted to less than or equal to 80% of the area median income. 

Duffield Place (Coeur d’Alene) 

Duffield Place consists of 21 condo-style units developed by Habitat for Humanity. Homebuyers must make less than 80% of the area median income to qualify.  

Looking ahead, the HSP is prioritizing the advancement of the Atlas Attainable Housing development and finding new ways to incentivize developers.  

According to HSP’s 2026 report card, these could include “policies and regulations related to short-term rentals, multi-generational housing, twin home regulation, cottage homes, cluster homes and tiny homes.” 

The projects received favorable feedback from more than 80 workshop attendees, which included members of the building industry, economic development organizations, and major employers across the county. 

Out of the 51 completed exit surveys, “every single one responded ‘yes’ to the question of whether we should continue the work of the HSP,” Miller said.  

“We gave a clear answer as to what’s being done right here in the community,” she said.