More than 30 years ago, Expo ‘74 transformed the heart of Spokane into an oasis known as Riverfront Park.

It offers downtown workers and shoppers a convenient escape for picnic-style lunch breaks. At the end of a baking summer day, residents can find evening relief on a stroll across the grassy slopes.

The historic Carrousel and dazzling new entrance fountain are magnets for energetic visitors, the open space a showcase for casual culture. Shakespeare, fireworks and baroque music will wow thousands this weekend. In barely a month, it will be time for Pig Out in the Park.

This park does not go unused or unappreciated.

And there, smack in the middle of everything, is the river, spilling lazily over basalt formations now, thundering mightily through the gorge in April and May. Those who want a close-up view of the river’s majesty have no shortage of vantage points within Riverfront Park’s 100 acres.

If the public’s enjoyment of river and park has suffered during the past three decades because the YMCA Building sits on one additional acre at the park’s northwest edge, it’s been a well-kept secret.

Now that the Y is planning to move, however, the Spokane Park Board is determined that that acre, Y building and all, must be added to the park. The board sees the building’s gyms, swimming pool and handball courts as additions to city recreational programs, but the primary motivation isn’t to make something happen, it’s to prevent something — private development.

The YMCA received a $5.3 million offer for the property from Mark Pinch, who wants to build a 14-story condominium tower where the Y has stood since the ‘60s. On Wednesday, though, the Park Board voted to exercise its option to match that offer and acquire the property itself.

The board fears that Pinch’s plans would do aesthetic harm. The 227 feet of river frontage on the site must be added to Riverfront Park, the members believe. They fear that the residential building and its pricey dwelling units would intrude on choice views.

But something is wrong with this picture, and it’s not the prospect of a private-sector building that would ultimately add about $1 million in property taxes while contributing vitality to downtown living. What’s wrong is the automatic aversion to private development in choice natural settings.

The Park Board has a duty to question whether a use like Pinch’s proposal would be bad for the park. But there is a compelling case to be made that the opposite is true.

For starters, Pinch has pledged to incorporate riverfront access that is more accommodating to the public than what has existed there for the past 30 years. His credentials as an activist and volunteer on behalf of river-related activities lend his promises credence. But even if they didn’t, the city has the ability to enforce them as Pinch’s condo project moves through the permitting process.

Second, the Y, a nonprofit organization with more than three decades’ occupancy, has decided to leave the aging building and the site. It thinks there is a better place to deliver the recreational programs it provides. Can the Park Board expect to take over the building, offer largely the same kind of programs and make them support the substantial upkeep costs involved? Rather, the board could work with the developer to assure that its design, lighting and security considerations and nearby concessions and dining opportunities will add up to a quality project.

Third, Pinch’s proposed structure, though significantly taller than the Y building, would be set back from the river, affording the walking public better access and view than at present.

Finally, Spokane is going through an exciting phase. Interest in downtown living is growing, across socioeconomic lines, adding vibrancy and long-needed economic energy. With more law-abiding eyes and ears on the street, unsavory elements have greater incentive to move on.

Yes, city agencies must prevent exploitation of choice assets such as Riverfront Park, but if people (including those of means) want to invest in and be part of a resurgent downtown, it’s something to celebrate. With reasonable planning, private development and downtown open space can be compatible uses that make Spokane healthier and more prosperous.

Wise city officials should work to make that happen responsibly, not block it.