The City Needs Place For Escape

Fifty years from now, as families canoe down the Little Spokane River, they probably won’t know the name Sam Angove. But the former county parks director was instrumental in preserving a stretch of river that is so beautiful, so peaceful, so miraculous it strips you of all city stress the moment you step into a canoe.

Chances are also good that 50 years from now few will remember the name of a group trying to preserve another part of the Little Spokane River valley. But 75 citizens have joined together to fight developments that are “out of character” with current zoning and the atmosphere that defines the Little Spokane River valley.

If the Friends of the Little Spokane River Valley are successful, they will preserve the rural character of the river valley for generations to come.

The Spokane County planning department is considering three developments proposed for the river valley. The proposals are by different developers and they differ in specifics. One proposal, for instance, is asking a zone change from one house per five acres to two homes per acre. Another proposal, for a 48-unit apartment complex, would require a zoning change from 3.5 homes per acre to 22 homes per acre. This is the densest urban designation now allowed in the county’s zoning code.

Though the proposals differ, they would all impact an area known for its beauty and wildlife. The three proposals were filed this spring, which made them exempt from Growth Management Act laws that will go into effect this fall. The new laws make it tougher to build close to the Little Spokane and its tributaries.

Development of some kind is inevitable for this area, but these three proposals should be analyzed and discussed in depth. The river valley is too precious, too beloved and too irreplaceable to develop without care and foresight.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board