Liberty Lake project moves forward

A 100-acre development that would create up to 900 residences and hubs for commercial and retail businesses in Liberty Lake has received a recommendation for preliminary plat approval from a hearing examiner.

The project, proposed by development partners Whitewater Creek Inc. of North Idaho and Sullivan Homes Inc. of Spokane Valley, would be built on land on the far eastern end of the city, east of the new Huntwood Industries’ plant and south of Appleway Avenue.

Plans include 506 single-family houses, eight multi-family lots, 44 commercial lots and 22 tracts for open space and parking. Senior housing would be included in the mix.

Representatives of the two companies didn’t return phone calls requesting additional information about the development, which has temporarily been dubbed Liberty Village.

Doug Smith, director of Planning and Community Development for Liberty Lake, said the project offers economic development coupled with diverse housing opportunities for seniors and families.

The village’s mixed-use design features pedestrian-friendly access to stores and residential-commercial units that are conducive to a live-work lifestyle, he said.

“They’re modeling a totally new development that hasn’t been tested in this marketplace before so there’s a whole lot of value in that,” Smith said, adding that Whitewater is known for emphasizing affordability in its developments.

Steve Shirley lives outside Liberty Lake and is president of Community Addressing Urban Sprawl Excess, a group that actively opposes expanding the city’s urban growth boundaries. CAUSE is concerned that Liberty Lake is growing too fast and, with several thousand new homes proposed, will be unable to provide adequate access to local schools, including Liberty Lake Elementary which already exceeds capacity, or to sewer and water and other services.

However, after studying the Liberty Village proposal, Shirley said he personally supports the project because the mixed use community cuts down on over-reliance on vehicles, among other things.

“That type of development is actually a good type of development,” he said, adding that another reason he supports the village is because it falls within Liberty Lake’s current growth boundaries.

Liberty Lake’s city council will review the preliminary plat request during a Jan. 16 meeting.