Most land-use amendments are endorsed

Spokane County commissioners approved or rejected Thursday a number of amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan, but reserved decisions on other Planning Commission recommendations until after a future public hearing.

Commissioners accepted the Planning Commission’s recommendation on about three-quarters of the 29 land-use amendments before them, including postponing until the next amendment cycle consideration of a Kaiser proposal to change its former Mead plant from a heavy-industrial to mixed-use designation.

Commissioners approved amendments to allow commercial uses on a full parcel at Post and Francis that had been split as half commercial, half low-density residential.

Another change in north Spokane will recognize the existing commercial development at Waikiki and Whitworth Drive, site of a gas station and other retail businesses.

Several large tract agriculture properties were redesignated as rural traditional, which will allow low density residential development.

In all but one case, a majority of county commissioners agreed with the Plan Commission that requests to expand Spokane County’s urban growth area be denied because such requests are intended to be considered only every five years.

But Commissioner Phil Harris said that such requests should be considered every year.

“I think these people have been waiting long enough,” Harris said.

Commissioners will hold a hearing on the one possible exception, which is to expand the urban growth area in the Moran Prairie area to allow a commercial development at Ben Burr and 27th.

A date for that hearing, which will also tackle six other proposed amendments, has yet to be set.