April 10, 2010 in City

Top jail site reaffirmed

Some downtown leaders oppose favored location

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Once again a consulting study has concluded the best site for a new medium-security Spokane County jail is next to the existing high-security jail.

A “weighted analysis” released Friday lists undeveloped land at the corner of Russell Road and Sprague Avenue in Airway Heights and near the Medical Lake interchange of Interstate 90 as second- and third-best among 10 sites that were considered.

The report was the second in which Integrus Architecture and Jim Kolva Associates have told county commissioners that the courthouse complex is the best choice.

This time, however, the recommendation faces opposition from the downtown business community.

Critics include Betsy Cowles, chairman of Cowles Co., which owns The Spokesman-Review, as well as Stephen Pohl, general manager of River Park Square, also owned by the Cowles Co.

Greater Spokane Incorporated, the Downtown Spokane organization, Kiemle & Hagood Co. and NAI Black also argued against the courthouse site, claiming it would drive up costs.

Some, including Cowles and Pohl, also suggest that another jail on the courthouse campus would hurt property values.

“This facility would negatively affect our ability to attract future retailers to River Park Square and the downtown shopping district,” Pohl wrote.

He said a second jail building also would hurt the Kendall Yards mixed-use housing development to be built between the Spokane River and the courthouse campus.

“We hope that you will consider other sites than one within the border of our downtown core and in the West Central neighborhood,” Cowles wrote.

The Kendall Yards project is being developed by Greenstone Corp., which is developing a similar project at Liberty Lake on land owned by Centennial Properties, a Cowles Co. subsidiary.

Cowles said in an interview Friday that Cowles Co. has no financial interest in Kendall Yards.

“Our position is consistent with many other people concerned about the costs of the jail and its location near a neighborhood that’s trying to be revitalized,” Cowles said.

She said it “just doesn’t seem prudent” for a city “that wants to be great” to allow such a facility in its central core.

Greenstone owner Jim Frank said Friday that Cowles Co. has no financial interest “whatsoever” in the Kendall Yards project. He said he was “completely unaware” of Cowles’ comment about the jail project, and “I don’t know that I even share it.”

Frank said a new jail could create economic opportunities for the area, and “we haven’t experienced any adverse impacts from the current jail.”

“We don’t see this as a significant issue for the development of Kendall Yards in the long term,” Frank said. “Nor do we see any significant impact on the adjoining neighborhood.”

Mayors of Airway Heights and Medical Lake, who already have state prisons in their communities, wanted no part of a county jail.

Commissioners chose the courthouse site in May 2008, but ordered a second study when cost estimates were higher than expected.

More recent estimates still show it would cost almost $266 million to build a six-story tower next to the current jail, compared with $229 million for a complex of one-story buildings at Airway Heights or Medical Lake.

But the remote site would cost about $3.2 million a year to operate, while the adjacent tower would cost $2 million a year.

County commissioners tentatively plan a public hearing May 12 to discuss the study results.

Nine comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  Another_Perspective on April 10 at 12:17 a.m.

  There are NIMBY’s but in the Cowles case its NIMBO’S.

• 

  Pilewort54 on April 10 at 9:20 a.m.

  Hey, I thought Spokane was already a great city,

  If you can’t be a great city with a central core jail, then virtually no cities in America over 200,000 could be called great.

  The downtown merchants need a reality check. The citizens of this town have spent hundreds of millions to provide a Cadillac-type park which is a huge magnet for downtown commercial operations. Yet whenever the county wants to do something that doesn’t directly benefit these greedy, short-sighted fat cats, they go Nimby on us.

  So now Mary Verner wants to build her own jail. Where would the city built this proposed jail? Would it be foisted upon a neighborhood without economic or political clout.

  Hillyard perhaps?

  Why don’t we explore using the old YMCA building as a city jail?

  Better yet, that building could be a great resource as a mental health care facility for offenders.

• 

  Truthbtold on April 10 at 10:00 a.m.

  Gwen~
  It is so refreshing to see someone else who is willing to put their real name with their posts!!

  I don’t have the answers to all of your questions, and may not agree with you comments, but it sure is nice to someone who will disagree and call out the powers that be using their real name!!
  GO GIRL! :)

• 

  misjustice on April 10 at 10:14 a.m.

  While I applaud the bravery of those so inclined to use their “real” names on their posts, it does not come without risks. Many times, heated debates on the blog result in threats of physical harm levied against posters; and for that reason I intend to remain misjustice…

  I also applaud you Ms. Sullivan for your courage in doing what you believed was right, re: City Hall. I can only imagine the threats that you have endured for that…

  As to the jail story; no matter where the county and city leaders decide to put a new facility they will incurr the wrath of some and be heavily criticized for it. What is clear, we need more cells. It will be interesting to read about potential solutions to this problem in the coming days, weeks, and months.

• 

  ChefGus/ John Olsen on April 10 at 2:20 p.m.

  I’ve never been threatened or harassed ( other than with the use of ad hominem attacks) by anyone, on the blogs or otherwise.. It is understandable why some folks need to be not open about who they are. With regards the jail.. i don’t remember when an inmate last got out of the facility downtown…. I know they let them out frequently because of the inept prosecutors office.. but then that is a whole different story… best john olsen

• 

  ChefGus/ John Olsen on April 10 at 2:23 p.m.

  I’ve never been threatened or harassed ( other than with the use of ad hominem attacks) by anyone, on the blogs or otherwise.. It is understandable why some folks need to be not open about who they are. With regards the jail.. i don’t remember when an inmate last got out— escaped from…. the facility downtown…. I know they let them out frequently because of the inept prosecutors office.. but then that is a whole different story… best john olsen

• 

  Truthbtold on April 11 at 7:05 a.m.

  Misjustice~ you are correct in the fact that I endured many threats, etc. There is no doubt that standing up comes with a price, and I can certainly understand why some do not post under their real names.

  I was simply making a comment that it is nice to see…..there was no hidden message in it. I was not pointing fingers at people who don’t. Chef Gus, John Olsen, posts under his real name, so does Ron the Cop; and I certainly am not looking for kudos’s because I do.

  Again, it was just nice to see a woman will to do the same. I just personally feel that it puts more validity in our posts when a name is attached. I realize that some could use a fake name.

  Really, I was just making a comment; nothing more! :0

• 

  misjustice on April 11 at 9:43 a.m.

  Ms. Sullivan, I appreciate and applaud your intent, as well as your sincerity. I was not questioning either! Go Girl! : )

• 

  Another_Perspective on April 11 at 11:15 a.m.

  misjustice just posts to increase global warming.

  Hows the pizza on perry?