Association Requests Willow Run Rejection

Thu., Aug. 12, 1999

By Kevin Blocker kevinb@spokesman.com

The Five Mile Prairie Neighborhood Association is asking the county hearing examiner to reject altogether the proposed Willow Run development and that a new, complete land-use application be filed by the developer.

“We felt there have been holes and we still feel there are problems,” said Greg Garberg, responding to developer Greg Yost’s project.

In June, Hearing Examiner Mike Dempsey partially approved and partially denied the association’s appeal of the approved site development plan for Willow Run.

Garberg and the Five Mile association allege that numerous “errors were committed by the Hearing Examiner.”

They say records don’t support Dempsey’s conclusion that the Willow Run plan conforms to the county’s comprehensive plan or that it complies with allowable density as defined by the zoning code in the Urban Residential Zone.

The association also said in its petition that records don’t support Dempsey’s conclusion that North Five Mile Road “does not require improvement to current county standards to provide an acceptable level of safety.

“Decisions on public health, safety and welfare were based on erroneous, partial and incomplete information advanced by the applicant,” according to the association’s petition.

Yost could not be reached for comment.

The petition was filed on July 30.< Garberg, whose wife Geralyn is named on the petition individually, said Willow Run “does not fit into our neighborhood.

“We would like to see development enhance the neighborhood,” he said.

Willow Run calls for the creation of 238 spaces for manufactured homes on about 68 acres west of Five Mile Road and north of Johannsen Road.

The plan also includes a swimming pool, fenced playground, putting green, evaporative ponds and several acres of open space.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.