Development Near Pines And Mission Wins Committee Ok

Sat., Oct. 21, 1995

By Adam Lynn adaml@spokesman.com

A developer won approval to build a 316-unit apartment complex near one of Eastern Washington’s busiest and most dangerous intersections - Pines and Mission in the Spokane Valley.

The county’s hearing examiner committee voted 2-1 on Thursday to allow construction of the Ridgeview Estates apartments on Mission Avenue, just east of McDonald Road and less than a mile from Pines.

The Frucci-Wolff partnership is the developer.

Committee member and county commissioner candidate John Roskelley voted against the proposal, while Mike Schrader and Verona Southern supported it.

Roskelley said he liked the project, but that the Pines-Mission intersection was too congested to handle any more traffic.

More than 37,000 cars travel through the crossroads each day, and 54 accidents were recorded there in the past five years.

That makes Pines and Mission the most dangerous intersection regulated by the state Department of Transportation in Eastern Washington.

Ridgeview Estates would pump several hundred cars into the traffic flow during the peak hours.

“The project is perfect, except for the timing,” said Roskelley, who also pointed out that the East Valley School District is over capacity. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t wait.”

DOT plans to improve the intersection, as well as the Pines-Interstate 90 interchange, in the next few years.

But Southern said Frucci-Wolff had done everything in its power to help the traffic situation by agreeing to widen Mission to four lanes in front of the complex and by paying $36,000 to the Department of Transportation.

That money will be used for future improvements to Pines and Mission.

Schrader was swayed, although he agreed that Pines and Mission can tax the patience of any driver.

“All those drivers will be cussing me out while they’re waiting to get on Pines,” he said.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GOLF CART SALES, SERVICE SHOP APPROVED The county hearing examiner committee on Thursday also voted unanimously to approve a commercial project on Sprague Avenue, just east of Adams Road and just west of Norma’s Burger Express. Donald and Mariann Heinemann plan to replace a mobile home park on their 3.5 acres with a commercial project that will include a golf cart sales and service shop. The Heinemanns will build the project slowly over the next three to five years to give the tenants in the mobile home park, many of whom are elderly, time to move, said their representative, John Sweitzer. “We’re not looking at displacing 22 mobile homes lickety-split,” Sweitzer said. Developer William Knowles also received a change of zoning on about 1.5 acres he owns on the southwest corner of Pines and Valleyway. The land was zoned for residential uses. The committee approved a change to regional business.

This sidebar appeared with the story: GOLF CART SALES, SERVICE SHOP APPROVED The county hearing examiner committee on Thursday also voted unanimously to approve a commercial project on Sprague Avenue, just east of Adams Road and just west of Norma’s Burger Express. Donald and Mariann Heinemann plan to replace a mobile home park on their 3.5 acres with a commercial project that will include a golf cart sales and service shop. The Heinemanns will build the project slowly over the next three to five years to give the tenants in the mobile home park, many of whom are elderly, time to move, said their representative, John Sweitzer. “We’re not looking at displacing 22 mobile homes lickety-split,” Sweitzer said. Developer William Knowles also received a change of zoning on about 1.5 acres he owns on the southwest corner of Pines and Valleyway. The land was zoned for residential uses. The committee approved a change to regional business.

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