Airway Heights takes off
The small city of Airway Heights is in the midst of a building boom.
Located just west of Spokane, the town is attracting developers who are in various phases of planning and constructing 1,260 new homes.
City Manager Chuck Freeman said this year’s new construction is valued at about $20 million — a significant increase over 2005 when projects worth $9.5 million were permitted within city limits.
“In 2003 we started picking up,” Freeman said of the building activity.
About 330 new homes are planned for 83 acres recently annexed by Airway Heights. The property includes a parcel owned by Orville Moe, the former operator of Spokane Raceway Park, Freeman said. Developers include Viking Construction Inc. and Hayden Homes Inc.
The community is close to Fairchild Air Force Base and within a few minutes drive of downtown Spokane.
Land is less expensive there than in other close-in locations, in part because Airway Heights has a minimum-security prison, with about 2,100 inmates, inside city limits. Geiger Corrections Center is a few miles away in Spokane County.
The more affordable land is being developed into middle-class neighborhoods that are attracting a mix of military and other families, including 2,800 people who now live in the city.
New parks on the way
With development comes parks, and residents can look forward to two new recreational areas in the future.
Developers of Aspen Grove recently donated 8.5 acres of land, north of Highway 2 and west of Ziegler Avenue, for a park. Sunset Crossing developers gave the city 2.5 acres, north of Highway 2 and west of Russell Road, for another park.
Freeman said the city is charging impact fees of $500 per new home and will use that money to develop the raw land. The park board will soon host community meetings to determine which amenities citizens want.
Businesses moving into Airway Heights
Numerica Credit Union recently purchased land on the Airway Heights side of Hayford Road, the divider between the city and Spokane County, and plans to build a full-service branch there. The property is at the junction of Hayford Road and U.S. Highway 2 — a hub of development.
Dennis Cutter, Numerica President and CEO, declined to give the purchase price for the land, but said, “We’ve been working on it for probably one and a half years and finally got it closed last week.”
Several new businesses recently opened in Airway Heights, including The Pizza Pipeline and Dollar Depot. La Preza Mexican restaurant is opening soon, across from Buckhorn Inn.
Sales taxes are up by about 22 percent and Freeman attributes the growth to new business and existing companies offering construction-related products, such as concrete, drywall and gravel.
Economic development group formed
Airway Heights is taking steps to stay competitive with an onslaught of commercial development on nearby Spokane County land, including a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Tammy Jones, associate planner for Spokane County, said the 188,000-square-foot supercenter is in the final stages of approval. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is revising a site drainage plan before the County holds a final planning review.
Community Development Director Alfred “Chip” Pilialoha is heading a committee of businesspeople and residents who are brainstorming types of businesses and products that can serve a niche not met by Wal-Mart.
“Ultimately, in the long run, it’s just to develop a city core to compete with what’s going on east of Hayford,” Pilialoha said.
The group is exploring how to make Airway Heights more attractive to new business. Additionally, they hope to capitalize on an estimated 5,000 motorists expected to drive through town to visit a casino, planned on land west of the city, by The Spokane Tribe of Indians.