Ranch Park Roads Called Inadequate To Sustain Growth County Engineers Are Reluctant To Extend Water Service That Might Spur Development

Spokane County officials are concerned about a plan to extend public water to 670 acres of sparsely-populated land south of the Valley.

Installing water lines could lead to more homes in an area that doesn’t have adequate roads now, they say.

Property owners in the Ranch Park subdivision and some surrounding lands asked to be annexed to Vera Irrigation District No. 15, so they can get public water.

The 20 or so high-end homes in the area now get their water from private wells.

The area is generally east of state Highway 27 and south of Morrow Park Road.

Public agencies, including the county planning department and the county engineers, are reviewing the proposal.

They have until July 21 to send comments to the state Boundary Review Board, which regulates such annexation requests.

There seems to be a good chance that they will ask the review board to hold a public hearing on the matter.

County engineers are particularly concerned.

In a memorandum to the review board, Engineering Administrator Verril Smale said the few roads in the area now aren’t the best.

A system of narrow, winding private roads serves most of the property.

“Extension of water service to this area will serve as a catalyst for development, which in turn will place excessive burdens upon roadways which are not capable of withstanding potential traffic impacts,” Smale said.

Nearly 400 acres of the land is undeveloped and owned or controlled by Pacific Securities Co., a development firm.

David Guthrie of Pacific Securities was unavailable for comment.

Specific plans for the property haven’t been released, but the rugged, wooded land isn’t suitable for much more than housing.

“I’m sure they’ve got big plans,” said Susan Winchell, planner for the state Boundary Review Board.

Irrigation district manager Kevin Wells said he’s heard the undeveloped land will be divided into 10-acre housing lots similar to the ones there now.

No property owners within or around the proposed annexation have complained about the project, Wells said.

Vera is capable of serving the area, he added. The district built a 750,000-gallon reservoir near the property about a decade ago and has plenty of water to serve any current or future homes, Wells said.

“Shoot, we’re an irrigation district. We were designed to serve 10-acre or larger tracts,” he said. “We have the capacity to serve the area.”

, DataTimes