Land-use plan draft coming
Three months ago, the city of Spokane Valley held its first comprehensive plan community meeting on a rainy night.
The weather’s better now, but many concerns expressed at the last of the meetings Thursday remained the same. Houses are built too close together in formerly rural areas. Vacant commercial buildings on Sprague Avenue need to be filled. The Sprague-Appleway couplet issue needs to be resolved.
“We need to find some kind of stimulus to get more work for our young people,” said Jerry Carlson, 63.
About 35 other citizens shared their own concerns about safety, transportation, a proposed city center and the other issues that the city will need to address as it writes its first unique comprehensive land-use plan.
The document, required by Washington state’s Growth Management Act, will forecast how the city will accommodate growth during the next 20 years. The city’s staff will use comments from the five public meetings held this spring, plus data from a scientific survey conducted recently and other information to write a draft of the plan this summer. A second set of community meetings will begin in September when the city’s staff will ask the public if the draft meets their needs.
“You’ll be hearing from us again,” Community Development Director Marina Sukup told the audience.
Eventually, the Planning Commission and the City Council must approve the draft, and public hearings will be held before it’s enacted as law.
Boy Scout Ryan Ramsey, 11, sat among the participants Thursday. Asked about his concerns before the meeting began, Ryan whispered to his mom that he wanted Spokane Valley to get a free skate park like the one in Hillyard. By the end of the evening, when the small groups of citizens were encouraged to share their ideas for the city’s future with the audience, Ryan spoke at the microphone on behalf of his table. To be sure, building a free skate park was on the group’s list.
Cathy Greiner, 52, also had concerns about the outdoors and recreation.
“I think new developments should support parks and green space,” she said. “Financially support,” she clarified.
Sue Bracken, 61, said her group worried about housing density.
“We don’t want to have cities in the middle of our pastures,” she said.
The participants — some with white hair and suspenders, others dirty from a day’s work outside — discussed their ideas for more than two hours.
“Transients. Bums. Transients,” grumbled one man, adding later that something needs to be done about panhandlers at the corner of Pines Road and Sprague. “It’s ridiculous.”
Jerry Carlson said he’s been watching the Spokane Valley grow for 27 years.
“As part of the community, I want to see how it evolves,” he said.