Kootenai County's Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on September 8 approved a zoning amendment to provide for long-term protection of the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. The amendment enacts density restrictions and gives the county authority to enforce standards pertaining to health, safety, private property protection and water quality.
Kootenai County's Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a public hearing on the Subsurface Sewage Disposal draft ordinance at 9 a.m. Thursday, September 8 at the County Administration Building, 451 Government Way, Coeur d'Alene.
Remote Participation via zoom is available at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86143944584?pwd=OGN0eWw2MmpHZWZsZ1hxeTRKZjliUT09
Meeting ID: 861 4394 4584
Passcode: 585508
This zoning amendment effort is intended to provide for long term protection of the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer through density restrictions and by providing authority for County enforcement of standards pertaining to health, safety, private property protection and water quality. The proposed changes leverage the recently adopted emergency ordinance which expires on September 25, 2022.
Following a public hearing held on June 23, 2022, by the Planning Commission, the commission unanimously recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve and adopt the proposed Subsurface Sewage Disposal Ordinance (ORA22-0002), amending Title 8 of Kootenai County Code. The planning commission public hearing followed two commission workshops on April 28, 2022, and May 12, 2022, on the draft ordinance, which can be viewed HERE.
Kootenai County’s Board of Commissioners passed an emergency ordinance on March 29, 2022, to protect the county’s groundwater within the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. The emergency ordinance, which expires September 25, 2022, amends the minimum parcel size of the county’s Ag-Suburban, Restricted Residential and High Density Residential zoning districts that coincide with the boundaries of the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.
Using the emergency ordinance as a starting point, Kootenai County’s Planning and Zoning Commission will begin considering Land Use and Development code amendments for long-term protection of the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer at a workshop on April 28, 2022.
A minimum of one public hearing will be scheduled in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission before a recommendation is made to the Board of County Commissioners. For regular updates and information on opportunities for public comment, please watch www.keepingkootenai.com The proposed zoning amendments, maps and background information are available below.
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