Fraser Estates Ok Shocks Neighbors

Doug Bundy fears his horseback rides along relatively quiet streets near his home on Wellesley Avenue near the Hutton settlement are over.

Bob Blangeres says he’s moving.

Pasadena Park neighbors say they are shocked and disappointed at the Spokane County commissioners’ decision this week to approve the Fraser Estates subdivision.

Five years after residents began fighting a developer’s plan to build a new subdivision in their semi-rural neighborhood, commissioners approved the plan to build 110 homes on 39 acres just east of the intersection of Wellesley and Argonne.

Neighbors say it’s an example of how money and politics can beat community concern.

“We lost because of the deep pockets,” Bundy says. “I’m sad about it. Our quality of life is going to change.”

Neighbors say they want to fight the decision, but they don’t know if they can afford to hire another lawyer.

Developer Mike Kinney says he did everything he could to address the neighbors’ concerns while building a viable development.

“I wish there was a way to make them happy. I think I’ve made every concession in the world that I could make,” Kinney says.

The development is designed to have larger lots along Wellesley, mirroring the existing houses across the street. Also, Kinney included open space within the subdivision to make it look less dense.

He argues that it could have been worse for Pasadena Park if his development was not approved. The area is proposed to have an urban designation under Spokane County’s comprehensive plan, which would allow four to six homes per acre.

Fraser Estates will have 2.8 houses on each acre.

“They got as good a deal as they’re going to get,” Kinney says.

Kinney first proposed Fraser Estates in 1995, asking for approval to build 179 homes on 49 acres. County commissioners denied the plan and developers appealed. The state Supreme Court upheld the decision three years later.

The revised plan for Fraser Estates was initially denied by hearing examiner Greg Smith. He ruled the development was not consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan nor the Pasadena Park neighborhood plan.

Commissioners this week unanimously overturned Smith’s decision saying the neighborhood has changed enough in the past few years to make Fraser Estates compatible.

Although commissioners are requiring Kinney to put a traffic light at the intersection of Argonne and Wellesley, neighbors are already dreading the increased traffic.

During peak hours, traffic already backs up all the way to Wellesley from Upriver Drive, they say.

Jane Apple says there is no question drivers will come past her home on Farr Road trying to escape the congestion on Argonne.

She also worries that the new development could eventually mean that Pasadena Park neighbors will not be allowed to keep their larger animals. Many people have horses, cows, llamas, sheep and other farm animals on their property.

Blangeres says although he hates to move, he’s planning to leave the Victorian-style home he built on Wellesley because of the commissioners’ decision.

“They absolutely do not listen to the people,” he says.