Council changes GU-area zoning

The Spokane City Council on Monday approved land use and zoning changes that will help protect Logan Neighborhood residential areas from being crowded with box-like apartment additions to single-family homes.

The council unanimously voted in favor of a plan to reduce the zoning from duplex to single-family use on 166 acres with 830 separate property parcels.

Large, bulky housing units had been squeezed onto single-family lots in recent years, and many of the additions dwarfed adjacent homes and clashed with the historic character of the residential area.

Residents who testified on Monday said the units are being occupied by students from Gonzaga University, and that the additional density has brought parking and other problems associated with rentals.

Ray Kelleher, a 39-year resident of the neighborhood, said that the exteriors of the proud old homes that are now being used for apartment complexes are being neglected. “The front of these houses, they are letting them go. It’s degrading to the neighborhood,” he said.

Kay Cobb, a 46-year resident of the area, told the council, “How do we stop the destruction of our neighborhood? It’s a disgrace.”

Ken Sammons, of Gonzaga University, said that demand for non-university rental housing may have eased in the past year. He said some rentals in the neighborhood went unclaimed during the past school year, and that when Gonzaga completes apartments that were under construction before an arson this year, the demand should again be satisfied for student rental housing.

The council two years ago had imposed temporary development restrictions to prevent the continued proliferation of those units. pending completion of a new Logan neighborhood land-use plan.

The plan was the work of property owners and residents of the neighborhood. In addition to the downzoning, it also calls for expanding the Logan mixed-use commercial center to include strips of land along Hamilton Street between Marietta and Trent avenues. The area designated for mixed commercial and residential uses was also widened from two to three lots east and west of Hamilton.

In addition, small areas of land along North Foothills Drive were designated for mixed uses as an employment center.

The council voted to remove a small area south of Trent Avenue and north of the Spokane River from the mixed-use commercial and residential center because the center designation would have restricted building heights to 55 feet and there are development plans under consideration for taller buildings there.

Bernard Street trees

In other business, the council voted to hold a special meeting Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall to consider approval of a $1.8 million contract with Eller Corp. of Newman Lake for reconstruction of Bernard Street from 14th to 29th avenues, a job that would require removal of large old trees.

Residents living near Bernard Street have appealed a tree removal permit granted for the project, and council members said they wanted to wait until Thursday to possibly learn the outcome of the appeal before they vote on the construction contract.

However, city staff members said any delay in the project, set to occur during summer school vacation, could increase costs and cause safety problems for children if the work is not finished by the time classes resume at two adjacent elementary schools in September.