Commissioners Ok Fraser Estates Project

Thu., Feb. 17, 2000

By Adam Lynn adaml@spokesman.com

Over the objections of neighbors and the county’s hearing examiner, Spokane County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a controversial housing development in the Pasadena Park neighborhood.

The unanimous vote will allow developers Mike Kinney and Bob Fraser to move forward with Fraser Estates.

The development will include 110 homes on 39 acres just east of Wellesley and Argonne.

In approving the project, commissioners overturned hearing examiner Greg Smith, who denied the project last summer on grounds that it was not consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan or the Pasadena Park neighborhood plan.

Commissioner Kate McCaslin said Tuesday that Smith had “erred.”

Conditions in the area have changed enough to justify the development, McCaslin said.

Neighbors have argued that the subdivision is incompatible with the otherwise lightly developed area.

Commissioners did attach a condition to their approval.

Smith and Kinney are required to improve the intersection of Wellesley and Argonne and install a traffic signal there.

The decision ended a five-year battle over Fraser Estates.

In 1995, the developers proposed building 179 homes on 49 acres. That decision was shot down by county commissioners but appealed all the way to the state Supreme Court, which upheld the commissioners’ decision.

Smith and Kinney submitted their modified proposal last year.

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.