What will future with denser zoning hold?
Two years ago, I walked through the neighborhood of a city located in the state whose name we dare not mention. It was early morning and the new housing development my daughter lives in is upscale and trendy. These $400,000 multistoried homes are built close to one another; so close that if you stretch your hand over the fence, you can touch the neighbor’s exterior wall.
In this city of the state whose name we dare not mention, the weather was perfect and as I strolled I noticed the sandbox-sized front lawns manicured with newly planted flowers jammed together because in these upscale, trendy homes room is sparse. In outlying areas of this city, the older homes are amply spaced between one another, lots are large, walnut trees grow in abundance, stables and barns dot the mountainsides.
“This is urban density building,” my daughter explained about her housing track. “The idea is to expand up, not out, so more houses can be built on a smaller plat of land.” Logical, and a home builder’s dream, but the result is people packed like sardines in a neighborhood can.
This year I visited again and walked the same neighborhood in the city of the state whose name we dare not mention. Once more, it was early morning and the weather, perfect. The houses, however, showed signs of wear with sagging garage doors, worn window sills and lackluster exteriors. The sandbox-sized lawns were overgrown and For Sale signs were numerous.
This is one example of urban density and how it looks in the span of five years. Our City Council is moving toward this goal for the Spokane Valley by removing existing codes that keep lots to a quarter-acre minimum.
After four years of head shaking at the City Council’s sometimes bizarre, many times erratic, but all the time entertaining shenanigans, Spokane Valley residents shook their blurry eyes awake and paraded to City Hall on July 31.
They argued larger home lots are what make the Valley a unique and desirable place to live but the council defended its actions and questionable associations.
Mayor Dianna Wilhite was quoted as saying, “We like to hear from the people,” then tabled the hot item for later discussion, which in council-speak means push the agenda through and recite, with proper enunciation, the tired platform, “This is for the good of the Valley!”
Councilman Steve Taylor, a proponent of denser zoning, intends to vote on the development code despite his employment as lobbyist for the Spokane Homebuilder’s Association that smacks conflict of interest with his position as councilman. He feels he can successfully steer the Spokane Valley’s home building future without interference from his lobbyist position … and, by the way, I have a rather nice, attractive and fully functional bridge in Minneapolis to sell.
Tax troubled David Crosby, who is a member of the Planning Commission, a Realtor, and, to round out his conflict-of-interest resume, is running for a vacant council position, also favors denser zoning. Crosby feels he’s the best candidate for the council position despite his turbulent background … and, by the way, I have a rather nice, attractive and fully flyable Stealth bomber up for grabs.
It’s almost scary; in fact, I can’t believe I’m saying this but Sally Jackson’s bid to disincorporate may have been right. I shudder to think that I made a whopper of a boo-boo when I voted for city status but the actions of our City Council has kept me wondering for some time … will we be the enviable City of Spokane Valley or become the city whose name we dare not mention?