Talks Continue On Downtown Neighborhood

Thu., Dec. 4, 1997

Amy Scribner Staff writer

Plans for a downtown neighborhood council inched forward last week at a third meeting to discuss establishing a West End neighborhood.

“It’s still in what I’d consider a heavy discussion phase,” said Kim Pearman-Gillman, chair of the Davenport Arts District Board, which has led the effort to establish a downtown council.

Downtown residents and business and property owners also met twice in October to lay the groundwork for a council. New faces have turned up at each meeting, Pearman-Gillman said, requiring the group to proceed at a slow pace.

Molly Myers, director of Spokane’s Office of Neighborhood Services, said it’s normal to go through a series of several meetings to bring everyone up to speed.

Establishing the West End council would require a slightly different process from other neighborhood councils because of the unique downtown mix of business and residential dwellers. The group has spent much of its time discussing how best to give a voice to both groups.

Another issue that has surfaced at the meetings is how to work within the confines of what Spokane’s other downtown organizations are doing.

“First, we’d like to look at how we might interface with the downtown plan being developed over the next year,” said Pearman-Gillman.

The downtown plan, slated to be finished next year, will provide a blueprint of how the downtown core should look and where residential and retail buildings would best fit into it.

The group also discussed the Downtown Spokane Partnership, which promotes downtown improvements. The partnership also manages the business improvement district, which taxes downtown businesses and organizations to clean the area and provide security.

“We’re spending quite a bit of time making sure everyone understands the different groups working downtown and the different downtown issues,” she said.

Pearman-Gillman said the group plans to meet again in January.

“We continue to have new faces at every meeting,” she said. “So that’s very positive.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WEST END BOUNDARIES The proposed West End Neighborhood Council would include downtown Spokane from Riverside and Main on the north end, Sunset Boulevard on the west, Howard from Main to Second Avenue on the east, and Interstate 90 from Howard to the viaduct on the south. For more information, call the Office of Neighborhood Services at 625-6269.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WEST END BOUNDARIES The proposed West End Neighborhood Council would include downtown Spokane from Riverside and Main on the north end, Sunset Boulevard on the west, Howard from Main to Second Avenue on the east, and Interstate 90 from Howard to the viaduct on the south. For more information, call the Office of Neighborhood Services at 625-6269.