Stevens County Tries To Cope With Explosive Growth

Jack Lathrop says he doesn’t mind the 80-mile round trip from his home outside Tum Tum to Kaiser’s aluminum plant in the Spokane Valley.

He leaves from his home north of Suncrest and winds down state Highway 291 past Nine Mile Falls and the old landfill, through city intersections and out on Argonne Road to Trentwood.

“I work 12-hour shifts,” said Lathrop, 48, who puts coatings on beer and soda cans. “I have to be there by 6:30 and leave at 4:30 to get there.”

For many residents in Stevens County communities along the Spokane River, living in the quiet resortlike area is worth the driving time. Lathrop’s 1992 pickup already has logged 70,000 miles.

With 900 homes and a population of more than 5,000, the area no longer is a secret.

“It doesn’t make a difference what time I go now - there’s always traffic,” said Lathrop, who’s made the trip for 20 years.

The pressure has brought attention to the relationship between Stevens and Spokane counties as both struggle with state growth laws.

The Growth Management Act will force the jurisdictions to cooperate.

Under the laws, residents of northwest Spokane legally could challenge new developments 12 miles away and across the county boundary unless improvements are made to overburdened intersections such as Francis and Assembly.

And under the new comprehensive plan for the Suncrest area, some of the funding for that work might come from commuters like Lathrop.

An analysis also is being done by the state Department of Transportation on alternate routes to downtown Spokane or the Spokane Valley.

The communities that line the Spokane River are the fastest-growing in Stevens County, with more than 200 residential building permits being issued a year. The traffic count at the Stevens-Spokane county line has climbed 30 percent in three years.

In December, Stevens County commissioners approved another 286 homes in two subdivisions.

But many of the planning requirements under state growth laws are still four years away. With the pace of Stevens County development quickening, officials there are not waiting.

County commissioners adopted a comprehensive plan for the Suncrest area last month and hope to adopt a firstever zoning code this year.

The new plan encourages neighborhood business areas; calls for limited access to Highway 291, bike paths, more public beach, sidewalks and softball and recreational opportunities; and encourages public transit to Spokane on the city’s bus system.

“It was a strange thing to me; I’d never heard of a place that didn’t have a zoning ordinance,” said Vincent Reagor, 65, a retiree who lives along the Spokane River. “There was nothing that would prohibit putting a lumber mill next to your home or putting commercial (property) anywhere they wanted.”

The Stevens County planning document also incorporates a philosophy that the area is forever linked to Spokane and developers will need to study impacts beyond their immediate project.

“It’s very significant for the county to be thinking this way,” said Hal Hart, Stevens County planning director. “We’ve said all future development must incorporate a regional view, and we’ve set up a mechanism so developers can pay their fair share of the road even if it’s outside the planning district.”

Stevens County hopes to adopt zoning for the area in March, then study a transportation district for all residents or perhaps impact fees on new homes. In both cases, money would be collected for a special fund for transportation improvements.

The next debate will be how to do that equitably.

For any improvements to occur, there needs to be recognition that the region is one community and people living in Stevens County contribute to Spokane’s economy.

Lathrop, the Kaiser commuter, agrees.

He does most of his shopping in Spokane, purchased his truck there and buys gasoline - almost constantly.

“I figure I’m paying for those roads more than most people,” he said. “I’m paying that high gas price. It’s supposed to be paying for roads.”

Highway 291 has received major improvements, with more under way. The state Department of Transportation plans to trim back obstructions such as basalt, build wider lanes and shoulders, increase the number of turn lanes and install better signs.

A larger question is finding an alternate route. Many residents now going to Division Street take Rutter Parkway past St. George’s School and over to Waikiki. But the road is steep and winding, and because there are narrow shoulders, more traffic can pose a risk to joggers and bicyclists.

The state is studying five other possibilities - all costly.

And even if it is built, the eventual route would not work for everyone.

County commissioners from both counties have met to discuss land-use concerns, and transportation planners are sharing ideas and talking.

But more needs to be done.

One resident, Allan Fackenthall, who owns 400 acres of homestead land in Stevens County and lives on Spokane’s North Side, has been writing letters to officials urging more cooperation, cost-sharing and joint planning.

And he’s been circulating petitions to commuters advocating an alternate route. He favors a low-cost option that could be funded without state or federal money. It would connect Highway 291 to U.S. Highway 395 via existing county roads.

Then drivers would be able to head to U.S. Highway 2 or down Bruce Road and Argonne to Interstate 90 on an improved arterial being studied by Spokane County.

“If the state can recognize it, each county can do its part and it can be done,” he said.

“I see progress, yes.”