YMCA sale up to city

The Spokane Park Board appears to have the legal power to prevent private developers from building a 150-foot-high tower in Riverfront Park.

The question is: Does it have the cash?

For months, the YMCA of the Inland Northwest has been negotiating with a private developer over the sale of the nonprofit’s land and building in Riverfront Park. The near-acre holds the YMCA’s 40-year-old five-story building on 227 feet of river frontage.

A little-known clause in an existing contract with the city, however, grants the Park Board a right of first refusal to purchase the property when the YMCA accepts a purchase offer. Once that occurs, the Park Board has 30 days to respond, said Rig Riggins, the YMCA’s president and CEO. The language granting the Park Board that right of first refusal is contained within a longtime parking lot lease between the city and the YMCA.

Though details of the potential development have not been released, zoning would permit a developer to build up to 150 feet high without additional shoreline setbacks, provided the existing YMCA structure is used. If the building were torn down, a 50-foot shoreline setback would apply, said Steve Haynes, a city planner.

Park Board members want to buy the property because they’re concerned about the possibility of a 150-foot-high structure being built in Riverfront Park, said Mike Stone, the city’s parks and recreation director.

“The Park Board is planning on exercising that option. Once they get an offer they’ve accepted, we get an opportunity to match that offer,” Stone said. “Our concern is having a private development sitting in the middle of Riverfront Park.”

But where the Park Board would get the millions of dollars necessary to match the offer is unclear. Riggins would not disclose the price being negotiated, but the YMCA’s last asking price was $5.75 million. The property’s 2007 assessed valuation is $5.2 million, according to Spokane County property records.

Stone said options for securing the funds include borrowing it or selling other property. Stone said if the Park Board is successful in buying the YMCA property, the buildings would be removed and the land would be converted to park property.

“My understanding, the offer that’s on the table, there’s only a portion of the money due immediately,” Stone said. “Then there’s some time to put the rest together.”

Riggins said he expected to have an offer in hand any day.

“When I do, and have it approved by the board, then we’ll announce it and that will trigger the city’s right of first refusal,” Riggins said.

The YMCA is planning to use the proceeds from the sale to purchase property on a joint campus with the YWCA, which plans to sell its property on the other side of the river. The location of that joint campus has not been revealed.

YMCA board member Scot Auble said a shortage of parking has forced the nonprofit to seek a new location. The leased parking lot on Post Street offers fewer than 100 spaces, while the new Spokane Valley YMCA offers about 175, Auble and Riggins said. Auble said the short-term leases and lack of control over the parking lot – it’s open to Riverfront Park visitors as well – complicated matters.

“Our strategic plan is to serve far more people than we’re serving now. What we have now wouldn’t allow us to serve more people,” Auble said. “We’re left with little choice if we want to succeed. We either have to get better parking or move.”