Letters

City needs to rethink planning , zoning rules

The residents of the Manito Park neighborhood have been experiencing a polarizing upheaval in the last few months.

St. Mark’s church has emptied two lots in hopes of expanding its parking lot, and those opposed have created a unified front with a handful of neighbors at the head.

I am one of over 160 residents who are opposed to the church’s project, and like other neighbors, I hope that when all this is over, new homes can replace the ones removed. If not, then I hope Spokane’s Planning Department will allow the neighborhood’s concerns over egress and aesthetics to influence the church’s plans. At worst, a standoff will lead to yet another empty lot blighting another neighborhood.

Moreover, I hope this havoc becomes loud enough for our City Council members and Planning Department to rethink the way zoning ordinances are enforced and residential improvement sanctioned. The practice of removing homes before plans for property improvements are approved lacks insight and is destructive, which chips away at neighborhood integrity.

With more and more speculators taking advantage of devalued real estate, this scenario is likely to become an epidemic, leaving our city a patchwork of abandoned, empty lots.

Cynthia Letts

Spokane