The possible reconfiguration of parking at Independence Point and the Museum of North Idaho will be among the first considerations as officials move forward with a master plan to transform a corridor along the Spokane River that stretches from downtown to Huetter Road.

During a tour of the property this week, the Four Corners/BLM Corridor Review Committee considered a wide range of possibilities for the six-mile strip, including improved public access to the river.

Though still in the conceptual stages, the engineering firm hired to develop the corridor master plan is analyzing the possibility of reducing parking at Independence Point to open up green space near the water. Parking near the museum would be expanded 

There would be an overall gain in parking spaces under the plan. Handicap parking at Independence Point would not be reduced but resituated to provide for improved access to the water.

“It’s a relatively simple project,” said Phil Boyd, president of Welch Comer Engineers. Work could occur as early as next spring.

Other ideas discussed by the Review Committee included the possible construction of a commuter trail alongside Northwest Boulevard that would eventually connect with the Centennial Trail, and partnering with Kootenai County to develop a parking facility that could be used by county employees as well as the public.

The structural integrity of Memorial Field might also be beefed up but there are no plans to remove the historical playfield. Other ideas discussed by the committee included partnering with  North Idaho College for development of an events center and expanded green space, perhaps including ball fields, along the Centennial Trail near the U.S. Highway 95 bridge.

A pedestrian bridge could also be installed beneath the vehicle bridge leading to the south side of the river.

Further west, there is discussion of working with land owners to secure public access to the Spokane River, including the development of trails and parks along the water and expansion of Riverstone Park to the river.

There will be numerous opportunities for public input during the master plan process, Boyd said, including two community workshops, City Council meetings, and a joint meeting between the Lake City Development Corporation and city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.

Twenty-two “small groups” will also have an opportunity to weigh in. The groups are broken into eight subcategories:

• Human Rights Education Institute and Museum of North Idaho

• Homeowners Associations for Fort Grounds, Coeur d’Alene North, Bellerive, Riverstone and Mill River

• Kootenai County

• North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation

• Lewis and Clark State College, North Idaho College, University of Idaho

• Disability Action Center

• Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality

• Coeur d’Alene Open Space Committee, Engineering Department, Bike/Ped Committee, Planning Department, City Attorney’s Office, Urban Forestry Committee, and Parking Commission.

The 9-member Review Committee consists of City Councilmember Amy Evans, Interim Parks Director Bill Greenwood, Dave Patzer, board member for the Lake City Development Corporation (LCDC) and city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, Scott Cranston, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, Coeur d’Alene Recreation Director Steve Anthony, Mayor Steve Widmyer, LCDC Executive Director Tony Berns, Janna Paronto Realty Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management, and Mark Browning, Vice President for Community Relations for North Idaho College.

Adoption of the master plan is anticipated in February 2015.