Downtown Planners Ask For More Comments Public Meeting Tonight At Spokane Convention Center

The last in a series of public meetings to draft a plan for the future of downtown Spokane is scheduled for tonight.

An Envision Spokane open house will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Spokane Convention Center.

Residents are invited to visit booths dealing with specific issues, leave comments, and talk with steering committee members about the emerging downtown development plan.

People can drop in anytime during the four hours.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to participate,” said Annie Matlow, marketing director for the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

“Those who haven’t been involved before can still come in at this point and not have learning curve problems,” she said.

Sifting through comments from the previous three meetings, planning consultants from Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman Inc., in Berkeley, Calif., discovered strong agreement on many concepts.

Most participants support expanding Riverfront Park, adding science or children’s museums, entertainment, better parking, converting one-way streets to two-way, a future light rail, a strong arts district, good shopping, a variety of housing, plazas and preserving historic buildings.

However, there were several issues with no consensus, including: the proposed Lincoln Street bridge, the Washington Street bridge that cuts through Riverfront Park, and the skywalks.

Lincoln Street bridge supporters say it’s necessary to provide good access through downtown and improve air quality. Critics complain the bridge is too expensive and will destroy views of the falls.

The Washington-Stevens Street bridge provides quick access from the South Hill to the arena, supporters say, but others say converting Washington to a two-way arterial would allow the bridge to be returned to park space.

While skywalks are convenient in cold weather, they take people off the street and make downtown look abandoned, say critics.

The draft downtown plan will be developed this summer. It will include strategies and policies to make the vision a reality.

There will be another chance to comment on the draft, probably in September, before the public hearing process begins with the Planning Commission and City Council.

The project is coordinated by the city and the Downtown Spokane Partnership, a nonprofit organization that taxes its members to pay for improvements and marketing for downtown.

“This last meeting is probably the most important,” said Matlow. “It’s not too late to be involved.”