Developers Covet Areas Along Little Spokane River

‘Get your country dream! Spacious, affordable Little Spokane River homes, starting at $14,000.”

Spokane businessman Harry Ulrich knew the Little Spokane River valley was a developer’s jewel and saw the potential for “several hundred” homes on 670 riverfront acres.

Since 1943, when Ulrich’s advertisement appeared in the Spokane Daily Chronicle, developers have coveted the river.

A short hop from Spokane’s North Side, the valley rustled with wildlife. Low riverbanks allowed homes close enough for residents to see trout in the oxbows.

A 1955 newspaper article detailed Fred Bedard’s plan to build the exclusive Riverview Hills development. Swank, 1,400-square foot homes on 150 feet of river frontage would sell for about $25,000.

But as growth management became a critical issue in the mid-1970s, development plans received more scrutiny.

A 1975 proposal for 225 homes on the southwest portion of the river was denied after the neighborhood protested. The development, the neighbors said, would ruin habitat for blue herons, bald eagles and deer. That section of the river later became a state park.

Three years later developers were denied again. Plans for an 83-home subdivision on the banks of the Little Spokane in Chattaroy hadn’t accounted for traffic, Spokane County commissioners said.

A preservation drive headed by Little Spokane resident and environmental activist Maury Haggin and Spokane County Parks Director Sam Angrove resulted in the creation of the Little Spokane River State Park. The 1,500-acre park cradles 7.5 miles of river from St. George’s School southwest toward the Little Spokane’s confluence with the Spokane River.

In the early and mid-1980s, county commissioners swung toward a pro-development stance for the Little Spokane River valley. They approved both lower Gleneden and Pine River Park in spite of objections from a neighborhood group.

, DataTimes