Greenacres plotting out its own future

There were apple orchards in north Greenacres when Elaine Davis was a little girl. There were cherry trees and strawberry fields, ring-neck pheasants and not many neighbors.

The houses were far enough apart that the drapes never really did have to close. The roads weren’t great, but a person could walk to church without fear of being run over.

“It was nice,” Davis said. “I miss being able to walk down the road at night, picking buttercups and yellow bells. None of that’s here anymore. All the little flowers are gone.”

What’s left of this still countrylike setting, hemmed in by the freeway and the Spokane River, is causing quite a stir among Davis and her neighbors. Reacting to more than 180 homes proposed for the area, the community is scrambling to develop their own blueprint for growth, a plan to preserve the best of north Greenacres.

They’re talking about building parks, so as their neighborhood fills up with three to six homes an acre, some green space will remain. They’re talking about allowing one another to keep a horse or two in their back yards and maybe requiring newcomers to plant enough landscaping to keep new subdivisions hidden.

In short, Davis’ community is asking more of land developers and would-be neighbors than Spokane Valley officials do. They’ll draft their plan, then take it to the local government for approval. If the neighborhood succeeds, it will be the first in Spokane Valley to really have a say in its future development.

All over the city, neighborhoods are feeling the squeeze of new housing rules that allow more homes to be shoe-horned into a parcel of land than Valley residents are accustomed to. In almost every case, the community response has been, “not in our back yard.” Neighbors swear they never knew so many homes could be built around them. Developers swear they’re just playing by the rules. And local rule makers say as little as possible.

No one in north Greenacres should feel out of the loop on development rules once the neighborhood plan is done. Developers who have bought land for building, and neighbors trying to protect their lifestyles all have a seat at the table.

Close to 80 people showed up for the first north Greenacres neighborhood plan meeting. They’ll all complete surveys about what they’d like to see in their neighborhood. The end product probably isn’t going to fully satisfy anyone’s wishes, but there should be something for everyone when it’s final, assuming Spokane Valley officials agree to recognize the neighborhood’s plan.

If there’s room in the plan for residents on large lots to keep a horse or two, 88-year-old Ray Ham will be happy. He’s lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years and swears he won’t impose on a new generation of neighbors, so long as they let the old community run its course.

“I’m done,” Ham said. “Let the young people do what they want with it.”

He keeps a few horses, but not for himself. Ham hasn’t ridden horses in years. The way the area is currently zoned, horses are only allowed on his lot so long as the property is never without them. He cares for the animals just to keep the door open for his successor.

A neighborhood plan, backed by the city government, would allow Ham to let down his guard. He’ll hold his horses, until the rules have changed.

It’s too bad it took the threat of new development to bring the community together, said Marry Pollard, the north Greenacres neighbor who spearheaded the planning talks. But the community’s hands-on attitude toward its future is the best anyone could ask of her neighbors.

“I hope we can be an example for the rest of the community,” Pollard said.