Neighbors Question Development At 57th, Regal

Controversy over growth on Moran Prairie is heating up with a proposal by a developer to build a shopping center and apartment houses at 57th and Regal.

Rich Naccarato of Cedar Builders Inc. recently filed an application with Spokane County for zone changes to allow a mix of uses on a 24.5-acre site. The land is now vacant.

The plan calls for a 55,000-square-foot store, two smaller retail spaces and as many as 144 apartments and duplexes around the back side of the businesses.

The development plans are running into opposition from residents of the area.

Members of the Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association are raising questions about the adequacy of the two-lane roads at the site and plans to handle stormwater. They also are worried that increasing traffic on Regal Street poses a threat to children who use the nearby soccer fields.

The association is pushing for a moratorium on development, and county commissioners are considering their request.

“We are very concerned that incremental development on Moran Prairie continues to be approved with insufficient consideration being given to long-term impacts upon our ecology and quality of life,” Susan Brudnicki, president of the association, said in a letter this month to the commissioners.

The association is also questioning the proposed expansion of Manito Veterinary Clinic. That project includes the addition of office space along with a new clinic several blocks to the west on 57th Avenue.

Members of the association said traffic flow is suffering as a result of the growth, and they believe it is going to get worse.

Stacy Bjordahl, county planner, said the city and county traffic departments are reviewing traffic studies from the Cedar Builders proposal.

No hearing has been set yet for the zone change request.

The preliminary application identifies the land owners as Violet Rhoads, and Myron and Nancy Krumm.

The parcels are currently zoned for single-family residential use, but Naccarato is seeking zoning for business and multifamily housing.

The county hearing examiner eventually would rule on the application.

The plan calls for handling stormwater in small, grassy depressions that serve as ponds during storms.

Naccarato was not available for comment on the proposal.

He reportedly is seeking to create a transition from the single-family developments south and east of the proposed shopping center by building apartments and duplexes around it.

The plans call for using masonry, glass and metal roofs to create an attractive appearance to the buildings, according to the application.

, DataTimes