Community members on same page at workshop

BONNERS FERRY — City residents have a chance to share what they want the city to look like over the next 20 years.

After seeking public input at the Farmer's Market and Rod Benders events Saturday, June 4, city staff and SCJ Alliance Consulting Services staff hosted a Comprehensive Plan public workshop at the Boundary County School District office.

At the public workshop, area residents provided feedback and rated how the city is doing across multiple topics, including economic development, affordable housing, mixed housing, arts and culture historic preservation, transportation and more.

The two major focuses by area residents were economic development and housing options.

When talking about the lack of housing options in Bonners Ferry, those at the workshop avoided the buzzword “affordable housing,” due to the vagueness of the word. Community members at the workshop did not want to advocate for HUD-style housing, but wanted attainable housing for those that live and work in Bonners Ferry.

Aaron Qualls, project manager at SCJ Alliance, agreed with community members that there is a lack of middle housing in city limits.

MissingMiddleHousing.com defines middle housing as a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units — compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes — located in a walkable neighborhood.

Middle housing is not high density housing, such as high rising condos or apartments, but include middle density units such as duplex or townhouse units.

Community members were concerned that a lack of housing options and housing types have detract professionals to work and stay in Bonners Ferry and have negatively impacted the local economy. Community members told city officials at the workshops that they believe housing and economic development go hand-in-hand.

“We want our young people to stay here, but they need a job or a trust fund [to do so],” one resident said when speaking on the price for housing in the community.

Residents expressed a desire for increased industry and better paying jobs for workers, but the conversation always went back to the housing shortage preventing an increased workforce.

Other topics of discussion were beautifying the downtown by adding benches and other seating in order to keep shoppers downtown longer and keep dollars spent in the county versus going elsewhere. One idea by a community member was updating Georgia Mae Square with a mobile chess set or another communal-based feature in order for the space to be used more. The hope was that if downtown was more attractive then more dollars would be spent there.

The debate of beautifying downtown turned to the lack of retail options.

One community member present at the workshop said that when he graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in the 1970s that graduates would work at the mills and live in apartments above businesses downtown. There were also multiple car dealerships and retail stores. Now the stores are closed and shops vacant, the dealerships are gone and the apartments are no longer available.

Across the board, community members voiced concerns of vacant prime location downtown storefronts detracting from economic gains and opportunities. Another key part of the discussion was the fear of losing the character of Bonners Ferry to development.

Qualls said the Comprehensive Planning process is a time for the community to come together and decide their shared values and decide how to grow and maintain these values. He posed the questions: “Where does the city need to be in the next 20 years? Where does the community at large want the city to have growth?”

Answers to these questions from community members will decide the future of Bonners Ferry, he told them.

Lisa Ailport, Bonners Ferry city administrator, told the Bonners Ferry Herald that city staff received a lot of supportive feedback from the public during the Farmer’s Market. City staff had 50 surveys filled out and had to print more for community members throughout the day.

Ailport said she was impressed by the wide age and demographics of those who came to the public workshop. It can be difficult to get community members from ages 25-40 involved due to other commitments, but Ailport said she felt there was a good representation of the city and county at the workshop.

She said the goal for city planning is to be proactive, rather than reactive. Being proactive will allow the city to be better laid out for resident use, she added.

She said the Comprehensive Plan advisory committee members were decided through a three-pronged approach. The city wanted the community represented by those who live in the county, but work in the city, own a business and those that live in the city.

Councilwoman Valerie Thompson was also in attendance at the workshop and was happy to see so many people were on the same page when it came to direction, investments and realistic approach to challenges.

In the future, Thompson said she would want more public turnout for the workshop, but knew that the June 4 venue was limited for space. She wanted residents to know that this workshop is the first step of the process.

Anyone wanting to provide feedback for the city’s Comprehensive Plan or fill out a survey can come to City Hall. Later there will be feedback options available on the city’s website. City and SCJ Alliance staff will be at the Boundary County Fair all week and there will be more public workshops and advisory meetings open to the public prior to adoption of the plan.

In compliance with Idaho Code, the city of Bonners Ferry is updating the comprehensive plan. All that is required for a new plan is a public hearing and an adopted resolution by the city council.

The city of Bonners Ferry has opted to host a series of public workshops, hold a booth at community events for public input and has created an advisory committee to represent Bonners Ferry and Boundary County as a whole to make recommendations to the plan. The city is also using the planning firm SCJ Alliance Consulting Services to collect data and make comprehensive plan recommendations to the city council prior to adoption.

To receive updates and information on the Comprehensive Plan, visit the city’s website at https://bonnersferry.id.gov/compplan/