Coeur d'Alene, ID Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Coeur d'Alene Municipal Code § 17.05.685 is the city's bonus system for the DC Downtown Core district. It works on floor area, not on dwelling units per acre. Subsection A sets the basic maximum allowable FAR at 4.0 without using bonuses. Subsection B lets FAR increase to a maximum of 6.0 through twelve listed bonus features, each earning a fixed amount of extra floor area.

The amounts are printed feature by feature. Street level retail earns 100 square feet of floor area for each linear foot of retail frontage adjacent to, visible from, and accessible from the sidewalk. A public plaza or courtyard earns 5 square feet for each square foot, and it must abut a sidewalk, sit within three feet (3') in elevation of it, and be planted with trees and vegetation on at least ten percent (10%) of its area. A canopy earns 4 square feet per square foot. Public art earns 10 square feet for each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of valuation, as approved by the arts commission, and a water feature earns the same rate. Structured parking earns 0.5 of a square foot per square foot of required parking, and below grade parking earns 1 square foot. A green roof earns 2 square feet. Daycare space earns 4 square feet. A health club earns 2 square feet. Public meeting rooms earn 5 square feet and need a capacity of at least fifty (50) people. Workforce housing earns 4 square feet for each square foot provided within 1.5 miles of the project site and within the city limits, defined as dwelling units available to households making less than the median income for all households within the city limits.

The bonus also drives height. Section 17.05.690 lets buildings in the DC district exceed seventy five feet (75') only if they meet the bulk, spacing and setback standards, and buildings that also accumulate sufficient FAR through bonuses can reach two hundred feet (200'). Section 17.05.650(B)(2) says the district has density and development incentives to encourage revitalization of the core business area around Sherman Avenue.