City Will Widen Half-Mile Stretch Of Magnesium Road

Plans are being completed by city engineers to improve Magnesium Road between Division and Dakota streets.

The project involves widening the the half-mile-long stretch of Magnesium to 44 feet. Sidewalks and wheelchair ramps would be added and on-street parking removed in favor of bike lanes.

Ken Brown, a design engineer for the city, said there are single-family homes along that stretch of Magnesium, but only side and back yards front the road.

“Parking seems very limited, so I don’t see a lot of problems removing it,” Brown said.

The project, estimated to cost $350,000, would begin next summer.

At the same time, the city hopes to install traffic signals at Division and Magnesium. The cost of that is $150,000.

New Yoke’s store going up

The old 19,000 square-foot Yoke’s Pac N’ Save on Indian Trail is gone, and the new store is now under construction.

More than twice the size of the old store, the new Yoke’s is set to open in March, complete with a deli, floral department, bakery, pharmacy and in-store bank.

Dennis Castoldi, Yoke’s president and chief executive officer, said the employee-owned grocery chain changed several aspects of the store design after meeting with the Indian Trail neighborhood group. The most significant was a reduction in the height of the building from 24 feet to 18 feet.

Also, the loading dock has been shielded, and compressors were moved to reduce noise to homes.

Spokane’s most affordable homes

Core northeast Spokane neighborhoods south of Francis remain the most affordable place to buy a home in the entire county, according to September figures from the Spokane Association of Realtors.

The association lists the average home price for the area east of Division and south of Francis to Interstate 90 as $74,000, compared with $98,800 countywide.

For the northwest area south of Francis from the Spokane River to Division, the average selling price last month was $76,500.

For areas farther north, the numbers tell a different story. The average sale price for areas south of Mill Road, Waikiki and Dartford was $125,000. From there to the Stevens County line the average sales price was $129,000.

Internet orientation repeats

The popular internet orientation will be repeated at the Hillyard branch library, 4005 N. Cook, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday The class is geared toward adults and will cover how to access the computer network via the library system. Space is limited, call 626-5380 to register.

Merchants on Market

Another business group, Merchants on Market, has formed in the Hillyard area. With 26 members, the group’s role is to promote the neighborhood as a place to shop. Founded by Joyce Friedland of Aunt Bea’s Attic, the group has already purchased decorative flags for Market Street and published a map of the business district using the theme, “Take a Trip to Hillyard.”

T-shirts saying “I Took a Trip To Hillyard” also are available.

They’ve also joined the Convention and Visitors Bureau and information about Hillyard is sent to anyone who requests information about Spokane.

“We’re trying to do all the things we can to get noticed,” said Friedland. “You can find all the things you want here, anything.”

The group is aiming to supplement the efforts of the Greater Hillyard Business Associatation, which is concentrating on public murals and a new rail museum.

“That doesn’t cut it,” said Friedland. “What they’re doing does not bring us business.”

, DataTimes