Developer Douglass appeals Spokane City Council’s denial of Indian Trail apartment complex

Developer Harley Douglass has appealed a unanimous Spokane City Council decision rejecting a controversial apartment project off Indian Trail Road.

Douglass’ attorney, Steven Hassing, filed a notice of appeal Jan. 3 with the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, claiming council members bowed to public pressure and ignored planning documents in violation of state law. Neighbors testified in droves against the project, which would have created 750 housing units in multiple structures on a 50-acre plot near Woodridge Elementary. Opponents said they were concerned about traffic, pedestrian safety and stress on public schools.

Rick Eichstaedt, executive director of the Center for Justice, is representing the North Indian Trail neighborhood in the legal wrangling over the project. Eichstaedt said Wednesday he didn’t believe the growth management hearings board had jurisdiction over the council’s decision, calling the appeal a “non-starter.”

No hearing date has been set in the case. Under state law, a case must be reviewed within 180 days.