Mixed-Use Development Proposal Facing Opposition

Architect and developer Glen Cloninger said he hasn’t given up on his proposed mixed-use development on a wooded lot west of Lincoln Heights.

But Cloninger is running into opposition from the neighborhood, and uncertainty from the Spokane City Council.

Last week, the council voted to postpone a decision on changing the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Specific Plan to allow a mix of retail shops, offices and apartments on one site.

Council members said they want more time to consider mixed-use development and more information about how such developments would fit with other land uses. They decided to take up the issue again on Sept. 21.

“I think on the whole this council is trying to do what’s right for Spokane,” Cloninger said.

The property on 29th Avenue east of Pittsburg Street currently is zoned for offices and apartments.

The neighborhood plan does not allow commercial uses on the property, and the citywide comprehensive plan doesn’t allow mixes of apartments and shops.

As a result, Cloninger needs the council to approve a change to make his Grapetree Park project possible.

Then Cloninger would need hearing-examiner approval to alter his earlier plans for the property.

Mixed-use is a concept being tried in other metropolitan areas as a way to create people-friendly environments.

Cloninger likes to compare his plans with the type of development found in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., widely regarded as an environmentally upscale city.

Members of the Rockwood Neighborhood Council are skeptical. The neighborhood council earlier this year voted to oppose a change in the land-use plan.

Laurel Siddoway, chairwoman of the council, said the Lincoln Heights neighborhood sought to limit encroachment of commercial uses along 29th Avenue between the Lincoln Heights and Manito shopping areas.

The neighborhood does not want to see 29th Avenue developed as a commercial strip, something they fear from Cloninger’s proposal, she said.

The neighborhood plan designated the area for offices and apartments to provide a buffer between the shops and single family homes.

While Cloninger’s architectural concepts may be good, Siddoway said, there is no guarantee that the property would be developed the way he said it would be.

“The property may or may not stay in his hands. We have to be realistic here,” Siddoway said.

“We have no guarantee Carmel in Spokane would be realized.”

Cloninger said his Grapetree Park proposal probably would not draw much more traffic than an office complex.

Siddoway disagrees. Commercial uses would attract more cars, she said.

To make room for the additional vehicles, Cloninger has agreed to dedicate property fronting on 29th Avenue so a left turn lane could be added to the arterial. That would allow vehicles to access the development from the eastbound lanes.

Last month, the City Council voted to relinquish dedicated right of way of undeveloped Napa Street on the west side of Cloninger’s property. The Napa right of way would become a private drive for Grapetree Park as well as Heritage Congregational Church to the west.