Canal Zone Developer Plans Canal To Provide Boat Access Between Proposed Housing Project And Long Lake

Gary Correll isn’t asking permission to build the Panama Canal. But after 20 months of paperwork and dealings with 14 government agencies, it’s starting to feel like it.

The Nine Mile Falls man dreams of building Spokane County’s first housing project around a man-made canal. His proposed development off Long Lake would feature expensive homes complete with boat slips and neighborhood wetlands.

Correll said he’s ready to start digging early next year. Only a nod from the state and a few more permits stand between Correll and his canal.

“There were a lot of hoops to jump through. Some were very small and on fire, but we did it,” said Mike Correll, Gary Correll’s son and partner in the 50-home project.

There’s already interest in the 25 lots that will border the canal, giving boat owners easy access from their back yards to the reservoir northwest of Spokane.

The Corrells paint an idyllic picture of pretty homes nestled in a natural area teeming with deer, fish, bald eagles and osprey.

They imagine families strolling from their back doors to their boats for a day of water skiing, fishing or picnicking.

There’s nothing else like it in Spokane.

“It’s a very unusual project,” said John Pederson, a senior planner for Spokane County.”You don’t see many canals.”

The county doesn’t have an ordinance governing canal construction, so county planners turned to state regulations.

“We talked to a lot of people. Nobody said we couldn’t do it, only that it would be difficult,” said Correll.

Their plan: a 1,500-foot canal snaking south from Long Lake, surrounded by half-acre to one-acre lots that will sell for about $100,000 each.

Correll is still collecting bids but estimates canal construction will cost about $450,000.

Mike Correll, a general contractor, wants to build the houses. This is the first development he and his dad, a retired airline pilot, have attempted.

“One of the neighbors here calls me a developer. I don’t think I am,” said Gary Correll.

Correll bought the property in 1989 while looking for a nice place to retire. Gradually, his four sons have moved to Nine Mile Falls to join him and build homes for their families.

The canal, which would follow a natural drainage easement on the land, didn’t originate with the Corrells. It was planned in 1979 by a previous landowner, Lloyd Nelson, but never developed. Gary Correll bought the land seven years ago, not knowing about Nelson’s canal plan. He came up with the idea while talking to his sons.

Coming up with the idea was easy. The permit process was harder.

“It has been a nightmare,” said Gary Correll.

The most strenuous objections came from neighbors and state wildlife managers, concerned about environmental impacts of the project. The Corrells so far have been able to convince them that the project will ultimately enhance the natural area.

“When it’s done, it’s going to attract more wildlife, increase the wetlands and make this a very nice place to live,” said Mike Correll.

“This is where we live. We want to keep it in a very pristine state,” said Gary Correll.

Doug Pineo, shoreline specialist for the state Department of Ecology, is reviewing the Corrells’ application.

“We’ve expressed some concerns, not all of them have been addressed, including habitat issues,” said Pineo.

“We have an obligation to ask all the ‘what if’ questions to protect the public interest,” he said.

“I don’t think there are many places in Spokane where this type of project would be proposed, but we do have to look at the cumulative effect of this,” he said.

There’s nothing in the code that encourages canal construction, but neither is it expressly prohibited. “It’s conceivable that that he could begin work in February,” said Pineo.

Most neighbors were worried about dust, noise and potential lake contamination during construction. Others fear the project will attract mosquitos, pollute the water and make a lot of noise.

“I had some concerns about the nesting osprey out there, I think he has taken care of that,” said Ruth Parker, who lives in neighborhood.

“The canal isn’t going to bother me very much. If he wants to spend $450,000 on something like this, well, it’s his money,” she said.

Correll’s canal will be 30 feet wide and six feet deep. One plan calls for pipes at the bottom of the canal and a pump to keep the water circulating.

Each lot on the canal will include a concrete boat slip 10 feet deep and 30 feet wide.

The canal will cut one of the existing lots off from the mainland. Correll has agreed to build a bridge across the canal for the property owner. The bridge at the end of the canal will be too low for sailboats to pass under.

Existing homes in the neighborhood range from $150,000 to $250,000, said Mike Correll.

Covenants, including one prohibiting mobile homes, are being written to keep the quality of the neighborhood.

“It’s great. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Mike Correll.

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