Coming Through Evergreen Road Project Exptected To Transform Quiet Neighborhood

Spokane County’s self-imposed Feb. 1 deadline for buying up land along Evergreen Road has quietly come and gone.

It’s been a year since the county began assessing property along Evergreen Road for a widening project between Sprague and Mission.

Now, officials are setting their sights on March 7 for completion.

They’ll probably miss that deadline as well.

“We’re so close to finally getting through this thing,” said Sherman Johnson, county right-of-way supervisor.

The county has come to agreements with most of the 64 homeowners along Evergreen. It is still working out deals with owners of Mary Lou’s Ice Cream Parlor and owners of the former Silverauto Sales lot at Sprague and Evergreen.

Construction will begin this spring even if there are a few stragglers. But a delay in right-of-way could complicate funding.

“Fortunately, we don’t have a lot of projects like this,” said Johnson.

Widening Evergreen will transform it from a two-lane road lined with single-family homes to a five-lane arterial.

It will connect the south part of the Valley with Interstate 90 and the Spokane Valley Mall.

It’s estimated that traffic on Evergreen between Sprague and Broadway will jump from 6,000 to 20,000 cars a day after the road opens late this year.

The county had originally thought it would have until June 1 to finish buying right-of-ways.

Now, they want to begin construction as soon as possible to keep up with the state Department of Transportation.

Because of good weather, the DOT - which is building an interchange to connect Evergreen Road with Interstate 90 and the Spokane Valley Mall - is ahead of schedule.

The state had originally planned on opening the interchange in early 2001. It’s moved that date up to Nov. 1.

That’s putting pressure on the Evergreen widening project.

“The last thing we want to do is block their part (of the interchange) off after it’s been completed” because the county project isn’t completed, said Johnson.

The right-of-way process has been slowed by the county’s desire to avoid condemning land.

“We hate to hold up a project because of litigation,” Johnson said. “To me that’s a no-win situation.”

The remaining property owners could agree to let the county use the land while they continue negotiating payment, Johnson said.

Ed and Kris Ritchie, owners of Mary Lou’s Ice Cream Parlor at 821 N. Evergreen, will lose the red striped barn to the north of their store and most of the customer parking.

They want the county to build a new storage area and parking on the lot. The county has agreed to build a parking area but not to pay for construction of a new storage area.

Greg Arger, of Arger Capital Corp., owns the half-acre lot where Silverauto used to sit at the southeast corner of Evergreen and Sprague. Arger said he was told originally that the county needed 10 feet of his land on Evergreen.

The county recently changed that to 20 feet, he said.

That news cost them a tenant. Silverauto Sales moved last week after deciding they couldn’t operate on a smaller lot.

Arger Corp. has entered into preliminary discussions with the county but still has to figure out whether the loss of land will hurt the site’s marketability, Arger said.

While many of the homeowners along Evergreen have been reluctant, all have come to agreements with the county or are just working through final details.

Homeowners have expressed concern that the increase in traffic will mean a decrease in property values.

Currently, Evergreen is zoned residential, which would prohibit turning the property into commercial development.

Two groups of investors have already gambled that the land will eventually be re-zoned and have purchased two two-acre parcels along Evergreen.

Mike Silvey, owner of Silvey Construction, is a partner in both of the limited liability companies which has purchased land on Evergreen.

“If it stays residential, I paid way too much,” he said. “If it goes to more commercial zoning, I’ll make some money.”

The current draft of the county’s comprehensive plan calls for the east side of Evergreen to remain residential. The west side would be designated mixed-use, which would allow for multi-family development, offices and some commercial uses.

The comprehensive plan is still in the draft stages and the county will begin asking for public input on the proposals this spring.

It’s not unheard of for a major arterial to be designated residential, said Steve Davenport, a county planner.

The county wants to keep Evergreen from becoming a destination for large retail operations, Johnson said.

“If residents are concerned, they need to express those to the planners,” he said.

Silvey said he’s confident that his plan to build a medical office will fit well into the county’s plan. The best way for the county to preserve surrounding residential areas will be for them to encourage buildings that can act as a buffer between the busy road and the residential neighborhoods surrounding it.

In five years, Silvey predicts that Evergreen will begin looking more like Pines.

“Like it or not, Evergreen is going to be a major arterial,” he said.

Over time, most of the homes along at least one side of Evergreen will probably disappear, Johnson said.

Mick Malcome won’t wait years to move out of his home of 26 years at the southeast corner of Broadway and Evergreen.

He was packing boxes last week.

Malcome sees his move to Otis Orchards as a victory rather than a defeat.

The county had originally wanted to bring Evergreen within 11 feet of his home by taking 38 feet of his front yard, he said.

After a lot of “pushing,” he said he got them to buy the entire lot.

“There was no way I could live here,” he said.

He said he’s not surprised that the county has had problems getting everyone to agree to the change. Most of his neighbors really like living along the relatively quiet road.

“If there would be room left over, I’d still be here,” he said.