Couplet decision a difficult one
The Spokane Valley City Council has made a difficult decision about the direction of traffic on Appleway and Sprague avenues.
Councilman Bill Gothmann and I want to share with you a couple of perspectives about why we did what we did, plus I will take a look at the future of this vital corridor. Gothmann’s article will appear in an upcoming Valley Voice.
We agree with each other on this subject, but Gothmann discusses our decision from a slightly different perspective than mine, so we thought you might benefit from seeing both presentations.
Your City Council and Planning Commission considered literally hundreds of citizen comments on the direction subject gathered during the many phases of the development of the Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan. This included focus group testimony, public forums’ input that preceded the Planning and Council public hearing process and the testimony offered at the six public hearings that were held by the Planning Commission and City Council.
The decision to change less than half the length of the couplet to two-way traffic was made to assure the current commuter use was preserved while providing a stimulus to re-establish a vibrant business corridor between Dishman-Mica/Argonne Road and University.
Statistics clearly show that 80 to 90 percent of commuters who use the couplet either enter or exit the couplet at Dishman-Mica. All you have to do is look at Sprague between University and Dishman-Mica and you will see why a revitalization plan is appropriate.
The future of the couplet east of University Avenue is in the hands of the Washington State Supreme Court. After trying to come to an agreement with Spokane County for more than three years, the city felt it had no choice but to go to the courts to resolve our differences.
The county wants the city to guarantee the preservation of a portion of the Milwaukee Right-of-Way for a rapid transit corridor. We have agreed to do this and designated land in our Comprehensive Plan and Uniform Development Codes.
We have instituted a “Future Acquisition Areas” protocol that will designate those areas where the Milwaukee Right-of-Way is not wide enough to accommodate a road and the rapid-transit corridor to be subject to an easement that will be bought by the builder of the rapid-transit system from current property owners.
We are currently notifying the Spokane Transit Authority whenever permits are requested that would use part of these “pinch points” for other development so they may enter into purchase agreements to preserve the right-of-way.
According to Spokane County these provisions are not sufficient to preserve the rapid-transit corridor. The county wants the city to buy these “pinch points” with city funds. It amounts to potentially several million dollars that our taxpayers will have to expend for this system.
We respectfully disagree with the county’s position. Hopefully, we will be able resolve this impasse in the near future so that Appleway can be extended over the next decade and we can further economic development and enhance traffic movement in our city.