County Mulls Building Moratorium; Flooding Cited

After months of flooding in Moran Prairie neighborhoods, Spokane County Commissioners are considering a possible building moratorium.

Storm runoff has spilled into basements, yards, parking lots and even public streets during one of the wettest years in Spokane history.

Residents say their home values are going down as the water creeps up, and they are putting pressure on elected officials to do something about the problem.

County Commissioner Kate McCaslin met last month with the newly formed Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association and heard the group’s concerns.

Now, she and the other commissioners have asked for reports from county staff on what kinds of steps they can take, including a moratorium, to prevent a worsening of the flooding.

“It’s no small problem,” said McCaslin, who has not committed herself to a moratorium but said some action probably will be taken.

“I think there’s a very strong likelihood we will impose some restrictions,” she said.

The restrictions could be as simple as prohibiting the construction of homes with basements or as tough as an all-out ban on building until the stormwater problem is fixed.

Residents of Moran Prairie say they appreciate having a commissioner who is paying attention to their concerns.

“I’ve been impressed with her willingness to do the homework and listen,” said Greg Sweeney, who lives on South Regal Street and is on the steering committee of the new 200-member neighborhood association.

Sweeney estimated that as many as 100 homes had water in their basements over the past winter.

These were more than just small leaks through cracks in the concrete. Some residents reported water flooding through window wells and standing four feet or more in their basements.

The problem has gotten so bad that private developers are trying to figure out creative solutions to handling stormwater.

As a general rule, the county requires developers to dispose of stormwater on their own properties. At the Ashton Heights development, for example, stormwater regularly fills a retention and evaporation pond to capacity.

The developer, Bob Guthrie Properties Inc., proposed digging a rock-filled cavern to absorb additional runoff from new home construction sought in the third and fourth additions of Ashton Heights.

The commissioners rejected the proposal on April 15.

“It was a dumb idea,” said McCaslin.

McCaslin said she is concerned that stormwater problems are causing home values to fall and she is concerned about the negative effect that could have on the economy.

County utility officials are in the initial stages of planning a stormwater system for southeast Spokane, but a workable solution probably will cost millions of dollars.

Public workshops are being planned for later this year.

McCaslin said a building moratorium would give the county time to address the stormwater problem without it being aggravated by more construction.

Under state law, the commissioners have the power to implement interim zoning regulations, including a moratorium, said James Emacio, county civil attorney.

A moratorium could be imposed for six months to a year but could be extended if the county develops a plan for solving the problems.

However, existing plats and developers who have filed applications for building permits or already have obtained permits probably would not be shut down, he said.

If a moratorium is imposed, the commissioners would hold a hearing within 60 days.

Dennis Scott, director of public works, said the county shouldn’t be blamed for the problem. It has applied stormwater controls typical of the building industry elsewhere in the country.

“The biggest culprit this year is Mother Nature,” he said of the near-record rain and snow that caused the problems.

“We are trying to look at other options,” Scott said.

The county doesn’t want to stop development but, at the same time, officials want to protect the integrity of existing neighborhoods, he said.

Members of the Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association say development is causing more than stormwater problems. Their area will be threatened by strip commercial development and traffic tie-ups if the county doesn’t do a better job of guiding growth, Sweeney said.

McCaslin is urging residents of the area to participate in the development of a new comprehensive plan for the neighborhood under the Growth Management Act.

An open house for people interested in working on the plan will be held at the county Public Works Building on Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., she said.

“It is very important citizens are involved in this process,” she said.

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