Paving Costs At 57th Ave. East Of Glenrose Rd. To Be Reviewed

Thu., Feb. 12, 1998

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com (509) 459-5454

Spokane’s County Commissioners have ordered a review of transcripts from a 1990 road hearing to see if residents on Browne Mountain are being charged unfairly for paving.

A group of property owners along 57th Avenue east of Glenrose Road said they believe a developer should have paid a higher portion of the street-paving costs.

Some of the residents are facing assessments as high as $12,000.

Commissioners heard testimony for about 30 minutes last week and then ordered a review of the hearing transcripts.

The commissioners said they would resume discussion of the issue on March 17.

Verril Smale, engineering administrator for the county, said the commissioners could order a new assessment hearing for the road improvement district, or they could take money from the general road fund and use it to offset homeowners’ costs.

County staff members are opposed to using general road money because it would take money away from other projects on arterial roads, as well as set a precedent for other road improvement districts, Smale said.

Generally, the cost of paving residential streets is financed through a combination of assessments against the property owners and subsidies from local government.

Sidewalks along 57th Avenue were paid for through a local grant.

Smale said the county also subsidized the project, reducing the price to property owners to between $20 and $40 a linear foot.

Residents of the neighborhood said developer Craig Jacobs in 1992 told them he would pay for the cost of the paving as part of his subdivision and planned unit development.

Commissioners said they are reviewing the transcripts from previous hearings on the district to find out what promises were made.

, DataTimes

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