Turtle Creek Project Gets Ok

Thu., Aug. 20, 1998

By Pat Sciuchetti pats@spokesman.com

Spokane County hearing examiner Mike Dempsey has approved a plan to build 158 new homes on an alfalfa field in Greenacres.

The 64-acre Turtle Creek South development will sit on the west side of Barker Road just south of Eighth Avenue. Dempsey called it a “logical extension” of the adjoining 101-home Turtle Creek development, just to the north across the Saltese Creek. He approved the preliminary plat with numerous conditions.

Richard Dahm, who is developing both pieces of land, could not be reached for comment.

Once developed, Turtle Creek South will have a density of 2.75 homes per acre, excluding the area used for roads. Its current zoning, UR-3.5, allows for 3.5 homes per acre.

Lot sizes will range from about 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. The existing farmhouse will remain on the site.

The Mica View Landowners Association opposed the proposal, questioning the need for so many new homes in Greenacres. Neighbors also worried about increased traffic on Barker Road, urban sprawl and impacts on nearby schools. They doubted the proposed playground - set between two wetlands ponds - would be good for wildlife or the kids who’ll play there.

Dempsey approved the project with numerous conditions, such as the requirement that Barker Road be widened and improved, and that prospective owners be warned about possible flooding. These conditions, he said, would reduce the adverse impacts to the environment and allow it to conform to the county’s comprehensive plan.

The development, he said, will help provide housing for the area’s growing population.

Opponents have until Sept. 7 to appeal the decision to Superior Court.

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