City Again Considers Move Across River

Tue., March 14, 2000

By Oliver Staley olivers@spokesman.com

The city of Spokane is once again looking at moving City Hall across the river.

The proposal, broached last year, would call for selling the current City Hall and constructing a new building near the Spokane County campus.

At Monday afternoon’s City Council briefing session, the council asked city staff to begin a formal study of a move’s feasibility.

One plan could involve sharing a building with the county, which is running out of room in its facilities in and around the County Courthouse.

“The county is looking for space,” said Councilman Steve Eugster. “The time is right to begin some serious discussion on the issue.”

The council agreed to try to sit down with the county commissioners to discuss the proposal.

However, County Administrator Francine Boxer said the county is looking seriously at buying another building, which would solve its space needs.

“We’ve made an offer,” Boxer said without revealing the property. “I don’t believe we would stop negotiations (because of the city proposal).”

The city moved into its current 156,000-square-foot building in 1981. A former Montgomery Ward department store, the building was extensively remodeled for use by the city.

Despite the work, its wide open floors are not ideal for office use and present security problems, said Councilwoman Phyllis Holmes.

“It’s my opinion that this building is not enjoying its highest and best use,” Holmes said.

Joining forces with the county could also produce savings and “would create more of a cooperative sense,” Holmes said.

The city and county have recently been at odds over a number of issues related to growth management.

Last year, the city had preliminary discussions about a plan that called for selling the current City Hall to Avista and building a new structure on the Summit site owned by Metropolitan Mortgage and Securities. The site stretches along the north bank of the Spokane River west of Monroe Street.

The plan never advanced beyond the discussion stage, however, in part because Avista said there was not enough parking at the City Hall building.

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.