Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Watermelon interlude at Palouse Fest Aven Mullendore, Beckett Bonner and Fisher Harris slurp watermelon during an interlude between musical acts at the all-day Palouse Music Festival Saturday in Hayton-Greene Park. See more festival photos on Page 18.
The Whitman County board of adjustment will conduct a hearing Aug. 8 on a conditional use request for 10 acres of the former Hawkins land next to the state line for a relocated St. John Hardware and Implement now at Moscow.
If the request is approved, they would move from their existing spot on the north end of Moscow just off Highway 95 to allow for a proposed 70,000-square foot headquarters for EMSI, a Moscow-based software company.
The former Hawkins land is in a zone called the North Pullman-Moscow corridor district, in which ag sales are allowed. A conditional use permit process deals with potential impacts to surrounding landowners and/or the environment.
Alan Thomson, Whitman County planner, said the county's planning department will recommend approval to the board of adjustment, a quasi-judicial entity which interprets land-use code set by county commissioners.
"We are recommending approval but you just never know with these things," said Thomson.
Any appeal would be allowed 21 days.
"This is what the commissioners want for the corridor district is development," Thomson said.
No land has been bought yet by St. John Hardware and Implement and no parcel created for what would take out part of the 204 acres now owned by Sand Road Bucklers, LLC, making for a long strip along highway 270.
Hawkins refers to Hawkins Companies, a Southern Idaho firm which, in the mid-2000s, planned to build a shopping center on the property, for which the county committed $15 million to for infrastructure.
Roy Druffel of Pullman is one of the co-owners of Sand Road Bucklers, LLC.
"The Druffels plan to develop more than the 10 acres, but it's a moving target as far as what that means," said Thomson.
The Druffels bought the 204 acres last September.
As of now, the 10-acre slot in question includes a gravel driveway to a pumphouse for wells.
Thomson indicated the driveway would become for an entry to the commercial operation, if it goes forward.
St. John Hardware has locations in St. John, Moscow, Airway Heights, Fairfield and Nez Perce. If the Moscow location moves to the Hawkins land, so will its taxes shift from Idaho to Whitman County.
After the Boise-based Hawkins company sold the land last year, the sale marked the end of Whitman County's commitment to any infrastructure development.
EMSI Friday announced plans to construct a four-story building at the corner of Jackson Street in north Moscow. The tech company plans a four-story building on the site to accommodate a projected growth to 500 employees.
EMSI now employs 160 people in Moscow.
The company was recently acquired by Strada Education Network.
They have hired Lydig Construction tforthe building and plan a ground breaking in October.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)