Board Rejects Developer’s Request For Land Access

Park Board members turned thumbs down to a developer’s request for access to property near Downriver Golf Course.

The action could block the construction of 16 homes on land once occupied by the Riverpark Convalescent Center just west of the golf course along the Spokane River.

The nursing home burned three years ago. The 2.5-acre parcel continues to be in private ownership.

A developer wants to build homes on the land, while the Parks Department wants to acquire it and include it in the city’s riverbank holdings between downtown and Riverside State Park.

The developer, who has a purchase agreement for the land, currently holds a 15-foot driveway easement. But to build homes, the developer needs as much as 60 feet.

The Park Board on Aug. 8 voted unanimously to deny the easement for the development.

Parks officials said they are willing to buy the land for $250,000.

, DataTimes