Comment Period Open On Wal-Mart Rezoning Plan

The Spokane County Public Works Department is hearing comment from citizens regarding a proposed zoning change by Wal-Mart officials who want to build a store just north of Spokane.

The department began listening to comments from the public on Sept. 17. Comments will be heard until Oct. 1, according to John Pederson, a senior planner with the county’s division of building and planning.

Wal-Mart has applied to change the zoning for a 40-acre parcel from urban residential (allowing 3.5 houses per acre) to regional business.

The proposed commercial center would sit on the Newport Highway just north of the Division Y. The complex is more than twice the size of the Spokane Arena and its surrounding parking lots.

Karen Barniol, a Camelot resident in charge of a neighborhood group opposed to the project, said about 10 letters of opposition have been submitted.

Anyone wishing to comment about the project can do so at the Spokane County Public Works Building at 1026 W. Broadway.

, DataTimes