Developer Seeks Zone Change Fred Meyer Project Would Bring Growth To Neighborhood, Proposal States In/Around: East Central

A proposed Fred Meyer store at Third and Thor would bring 275 new jobs, with most of the employees being hired from the surrounding area, project proponents said.

The payroll would total between $4.7 and $5.2 million over the first three years.

Sales taxes should add $1 million a year to state and local governments.

Fred Meyer officials cited the impact on the local economy in arguing Tuesday for a zone change for the proposed site.

Spokane developer Judy Hart and Fred Meyer executives appeared before Hearing Examiner Greg Smith asking for a change from residential to neighborhood business zoning.

The request comes after the city Plan Commission last spring approved a change in the comprehensive land-use plan to accommodate Fred Meyer.

The store chain is seeking a variance from the height limitation of 30 feet.

They propose a partial second story to house apparel so they can fit a full service Fred Meyer on the four-block site. The mezzanine would total 40 feet. Its impact is being reduced by setting back the mezzanine about 30 feet from the outermost walls of the first floor.

East Central residents have backed the project because of a need for shopping convenience and the jobs it would bring to the area.

“We have been very supportive, and we are looking forward to this,” said Jerry Numbers, a member of the neighborhood council and steering committee.

Maxine Howard, another neighborhood resident, said Hart and the store’s executives have worked to meet concerns about traffic and the store’s impact in the neighborhood.

“That’s what’s really important,” she said.

Fred Meyer asked for a greater number of wall signs than allowed under the city sign code but would reduce the size of each sign to make the overall appearance of the store fit in to the neighborhood.

The store also agreed to a series of traffic improvements, including right-turn lanes, new lane stripes for the westbound off-ramp on Interstate 90 and a left-turn lane for northbound traffic on Thor Street.

A traffic consultant has come up with a plan for changing the timing of signal lights in the area to improve traffic flow.

Keith Martin, project engineer for the North Spokane freeway project, said widening of I-90 and an interchange for the new freeway could cause the state to take more land along the Fred Meyer site.

However, plans are still more than a year from completion, he said. Plus, passage of Initiative 695 has clouded the future of funding for the North Spokane freeway.