County approves commercial zone at 57th, Palouse

Even though Don Jacobson didn’t get exactly what he requested from Spokane county commissioners, he’s not complaining.

Jacobson and Allen Williamson are owners of the former Jacobson Greenhouse site, 18 acres on Moran Prairie, just southeast of 57th Avenue and the Old Palouse Highway.

They had requested that the site be redesignated “regional commercial.”

Instead, Commissioners Phil Harris and Kate McCaslin voted on Aug. 9 to designate the property “community commercial,” with Commissioner John Roskelley voting against the amendment.

Regional commercial zoning allows the most intense commercial development, including malls and superstores.

Community commercial zoning designates areas for retail, service and office establishments intended to serve several neighborhoods. Ideally this means business clusters rather than arterial strip malls.

Property co-owner Williamson said he envisions an “urban village,” with a grocery store anchor tenant and a mix of small retail shops, office space and a residential complex.

“We still have to get through traffic and the health department as far as sanitation and water systems, and our neighbors,” Jacobson said. “We’ll need to get design and engineering approval. It’s all in the process.

“But now it will take less than three years to break ground. This was significant.”

The property is now back within the county’s urban growth boundary. According to Jacobson, the property was well inside this area when the boundary plan originally was published.

Jacobson doesn’t believe that the commissioners’ decision to designate the property community commercial will be a problem.

“Not being an expert, I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that it won’t make any difference to our plan. We didn’t have a big box planned there,” Jacobson said.

“Yokes has 7 or 8 million dollars they want to put in. I was so pleased. If they (county commissioners) had delayed it, maybe they would have gone to Post Falls or somewhere else,” said Jacobson.

Neighborhood input is important to both Jacobson and Williamson. A meeting at the Moran Prairie Grange Hall was held earlier this year to get community feedback on the proposed development.

“Developers usually aren’t very popular with neighbors,” Jacobson said. ” I tell people I’ve only been a developer for six months, and already I hate myself.

“But I’m still the same old friendly farmer you’ve always known and loved.”

Jacobson said he doesn’t want to be like some developers who try to sneak things through.

“You tell everyone what’s going on and get their ideas and work with them all the way. It’s a much better way,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson said 50 or 60 people in the community signed a petition saying that they approved of the project.

“As soon as their questions were answered, everyone was for it, except the usual,” he said. “There’s always a group of people in every community that are against everything for various reasons. They’re entitled to their opinions.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the commissioners’ decision, and we’re a year ahead of where we thought we’d be. That would encourage anyone,” Jacobson said.