Compromise Reached On Proposal For 57Th, Regal

A land-use fight over 27 acres of prime land at 57th and Regal was resolved this week when neighborhood leaders and a developer compromised.

The Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association on Tuesday dropped its land-use appeal on a proposed shopping center and apartment complex at the intersection.

In exchange, developer Rich Naccarato of Cedar Builders Inc. agreed to incorporate pedestrian-friendly features into the development and bring the neighborhood into negotiations for initial tenants.

Susan Brudnicki, president of the neighborhood association, said the agreement sets a new standard for cooperation between neighborhood groups and developers.

“There’s a lot of neighborhoods watching over our shoulders,” Brudnicki said Wednesday. “There is a way we can work together.”

Stan Schultz, attorney for Cedar Builders, said his client believes the compromises will make a better development.

The agreement also opened the door for changes to emergency stormwater regulations in effect on Moran Prairie.

On Tuesday, the Spokane County Commissioners said they are ready to allow exemptions to the strict stormwater rules that have been in effect for 18 months on Moran Prairie.

Much of that area has a shallow layer of soil on top of solid bedrock, so it doesn’t drain well.

But Naccarato may qualify for an exemption because his site has a layer of permeable sand and rock that extends for more than 50 feet deep at the property’s south end. That kind of land can absorb rain and snowmelt without flooding problems, his consultants have said.

As a result, Naccarato could qualify for an exemption and build his stores and apartments with grassy depressions for gathering and dispersing water into the ground.

During a public hearing Tuesday, Commissioner Kate McCaslin asked for some minor changes to the exemption language to ensure that any flooding potential could be remedied after a project is built.

Those changes will be the subject of another public hearing in about two weeks.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the commissioners extended the emergency stormwater rules on Moran Prairie as well as the Eaglewood area on the North Side.

No exemptions are proposed for the Eaglewood moratorium.

Naccarato’s project calls for 70,000 square feet of commercial space, 30,000 square feet of offices and 151 housing units. The housing would include standard apartments plus a line of duplexes adjacent to the single-family neighborhoods to the south and east.

In reaching the compromise, Naccarato agreed to build an outdoor gathering area with picnic tables and trees.

Pathways allowing pedestrian access through the development would be built with gates for security at night.

Retaining walls and fences would be eliminated. Perimeter sidewalks would be set back.

Also, light poles would be more decorative than the typical utilitylike fixtures found in most projects.

The shops themselves would incorporate more gables, cupolas and masonry than initially proposed.

Members of the neighborhood have been given permission to seek the kinds of tenants they would like in the shopping center, including the main grocery.

Brudnicki said an upscale grocer, an espresso shop and a quick-print shop are examples.

“I’m excited what the future holds,” she said.