New Housing Development Turned Down

Sat., April 18, 1998

By Pat Sciuchetti pats@spokesman.com

The Spokane County hearing examiner has turned down a proposal to build an affordable housing development in the Dishman-Mica area.

The proposed development, called the Village in the Valley, required a zone change and other land-use changes. Those changes, hearing examiner Mike Dempsey said in his 25-page decision Thursday, did not conform to the county’s comprehensive plan.

In addition, Dempsey said, as it is currently designed, the Village would negatively impact schools, nearby homes in Chester Terrace and possibly the nearby Dishman Hills Natural Area. It also lacked adequate open space and recreational opportunities.

By law, public health, welfare and safety must be considered in zone change decisions.

Dempsey’s denial puts the breaks on the controversial proposal, which would have added more than 160 units to a 13.5-acre lot south of 16th and east of Dishman-Mica Road.

The project was spearheaded by developer Jim Frank, working in partnership with the non-profit Northwest Regional Facilitators (NRF). They have until April 27 to file an appeal.

Neither Frank nor officials from NRF were available for comment. As envisioned by its supporters, the Village would have become a mixed community of single-family homes, duplexes and apartments. Most of the units would be set aside for families making less than 80 percent of the county’s median income.

To allow for the density, the partners sought UR-22 zoning, which allows for 22 homes or multi-family units per acre. The current zoning allows for just 3.5 homes per acre.

Neighbors opposed the plan and hired land-use consultant Scott Brown to argue their case before the hearing examiner. In February, Brown helped defeat a proposal to build a Wal-Mart store in north Spokane.

The hearing examiner agreed with Brown’s argument that the proposal didn’t conform with the county zoning code and comprehensive plan.

UR-22 zoning is designed for developments that provide a buffer between lower density neighborhoods and commercial or industrial areas, Dempsey said. The Village simply would not have done this, he said.

Despite their lengthy presentation at last month’s public hearing, NRF and Frank lacked specific details in several areas of their plans, Dempsey added.

The hearing examiner said he considered returning the proposal to the applicants for modification, but eventually rejected the idea because Frank and NRF indicated they were not flexible about redesigning it.

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