Plan panel to consider 29th, Grand

Neighborhood leaders on the South Side are talking about creating an “urban village” business center out of the existing business district at 29th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, but they have fallen into two distinct camps over how to accomplish that.

Two competing proposals are expected to go before the city Plan Commission next week.

Representatives of three neighborhood councils have worked for months to come up with a land-use plan and new zoning in and around the Manito Shopping Center. Both proposals call for increasing the range of services available in the center and opening the possibility of new apartments linked to office or commercial projects.

Both plans call for improved pedestrian access as part of an effort to create urban centers throughout Spokane where people can live, shop, dine or work without the need to drive.

But differences exist over how much development should be allowed along 29th Avenue in the vicinity of Grand Boulevard.

One group is supporting a plan that would limit commercial growth on the north side of 29th Avenue to protect the adjacent Rockwood Neighborhood with its historic homes and picturesque residential streets. Another group is supporting more commercial opportunities on the properties that face 29th Avenue in an effort to make 29th and Grand the pivotal point of the center.

The Plan Commission has scheduled a workshop session for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the council briefing center on the lower level of City Hall. Residents involved in writing the plans will meet with plan commissioners and city staff to explain the proposals. No public testimony will be taken.

Steve Franks, interim planning director, said a public hearing has yet to be scheduled before the Plan Commission but is expected to be held in June. The Plan Commission is expected to forward a recommendation to the City Council, which has authority to make a final decision on future land use in the area.