Pullman-Moscow Corridor May Be Developed

Tue., Aug. 31, 1999

From Staff

Whitman County commissioners unanimously passed an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan Monday that will open up the Pullman-Moscow corridor to new development.

The decision allows developers to apply for conditional use permits to locate a variety of businesses along the eight-mile stretch between the two university towns.

Similar amendments have been rejected twice this decade after significant public opposition. But retail demand for the corridor land is growing and cash-strapped county officials are desperate to expand the county’s tax base. This plan - a rehash of the the 1988 and 1995 proposals to create a Pullman-Moscow Corridor Enterprise Area - also sparked controversy. “Some said the restrictions weren’t strict enough and some said they were too strict,” said Commissioner Nora Mae Keifer. “We decided it was best to leave it.”

The plan has stringent traffic and storm water runoff requirements, Keifer said, as well as a 10-acre minimum and 50 percent open space set aside. “I don’t anticipate a lot of development quickly.”

Keifer said she took multiple calls from concerned residents, but tried to reassure constituents that the development would be limited, particularly near Paradise Creek and a popular path that parallels it.

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