City grapples with problems at Pines Road intersections

The city of Spokane Valley is trying to break free from what one councilman called a “hostage” situation on Tuesday night.

It deals with a messy set of intersections on Pines Road near the Interstate 90 interchange. Some landowners in the area have wanted for years to develop their property but have had to wait until traffic congestion is improved. They agreed to pitch in to cover the cost of fixing the problem, but just when it looked like all the money was in place, two developers backed out.

Meanwhile, a company that has poured the foundation for a new building in the vicinity is still waiting for a city permit to finish its work. An architect representing Incyte Pathology asked the council Tuesday why two other nearby projects – a building for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Centerplace, a community center the city is building – were allowed while his client’s project is on hold.

“Why is Incyte Pathology being treated differently?” Michael O’Malley asked.

Deputy City Attorney Cary Driskell has said Incyte’s building permit hasn’t been issued because the city doesn’t stand on solid legal ground to allow building in the vicinity of what’s considered a failing intersection – the mess on Pines. Intersections are called failing when there are either so many accidents or such a delay for motorists that they fail state standards.

On Tuesday, Driskell conceded that the city made a mistake in allowing the other two buildings.

Further complicating matters are the concerns of neighbors who don’t want to see more homes built. Helen Sargent opposes a 91-unit development proposed near the corner of Wilbur and Buckeye and was upset Tuesday when the council started talking about solutions to the Pines intersection problem before citizens could comment on the housing project.

“I don’t think anything should be settled before we have our public hearing,” she said.

Currently, there are two sets of stoplights and a railroad track all within a block of each other on Pines near I-90. During rush hour, traffic heading south on Pines backs up at the lights, and the jam only intensifies when a train passes. The plan is to consolidate the two sets of lights into one.

The backups cause problems for drivers turning left onto Pines from Mansfield Avenue, as well. So a stoplight has been proposed at that intersection.

The fix will cost almost $4 million. A group of eight landowners previously agreed to pay $514,000 of the cost.

Councilman Dick Denenny said the city was put in a “hostage” situation, though, when two developers said they wanted to back out. They include Centennial Properties Inc., which is owned by the same company that owns The Spokesman-Review. Asked by the City Council to name the second company Tuesday night, city staff declined.

The council discussed a new approach Tuesday. Instead of getting the money up front, the developers would have to pay their share when they are ready to build.

In the meantime, the city would cover the costs so the intersection can get fixed sooner. Deputy Mayor Richard Munson said he didn’t think that would amount to the full $514,000 since some of the developers are ready to go ahead with their projects now.

Several people said they were confident the issues would be resolved. But Dr. Dave Hoak, of Incyte, said delaying his company’s move to a new building much longer could be dangerous. One of Hoak’s duties is to diagnose over wideband Internet connections the conditions of patients who might be on examining tables in Idaho or elsewhere.

“If we cannot build promptly it will increase the likelihood that we’ll have to move twice,” Hoak said. A temporary location could be “expensive, disruptive and it may jeopardize patient care,

” he added.