North Spokane Residents Oppose Proposed Commercial Center
Armed with legal codes, flow charts and hot rhetoric, more than 110 irate North Spokane residents met Tuesday night to discuss strategy to block proposed development in their neighborhood.
A map of the proposed 40-acre commercial center and Wal-Mart store hung in the front of the meeting room in the North Spokane public library, giving the crowd a target at which to aim their comments.
The center, on the Newport Highway just north of the Division Y, would require a zoning change from residential to dense commercial. The complex is more than twice the size of the Spokane Arena and it’s surrounding parking lots.
The potential impacts of the change concerns residents, many of them long-time homeowners who have watched with alarm as development has crawled northward.
“Eeeiiiyayaya, we’ll get Division in our back yard!” lamented Camelot resident Julie Kubat.
As angry comments rippled through the room, calmer voices called for clear battle plans.
Committees were formed to investigate traffic, environmental and neighborhood concerns and prepare factual reports for the Spokane County hearing examiner.
A hearing examiner’s decision is still months away.
“What we see is an outstanding opportunity to be in an excellent location to serve our customer base,” said Les Copeland, a Walmart spokesman. He said Walmart would arrange a meeting with the neighborhood group.
The group, which calls itself Citizens for Responsible Growth, drew on experience. Several local residents have learned ways to present effectively at a hearing last spring while successfully fighting a similar zone change proposal.
“These are lawyers we are trying to convince - we need to present them facts,” said Karen Barniol, leader of Citizens for Responsible Growth.
Arguments against the development touched various issues. Traffic concerns blended into fears for childrens’ safety. Concerns about potential home devaluation became arguments for property rights.
“When you are looking for a home, do you look next to a busy highway and a big commercial center?” Barniol asked the crowd.
Roberta Swenson already found her answer. A potential buyer of her Camelot home lost interest Monday after learning of the Wal-Mart proposal, she said.
, DataTimes