West Plains moratorium extended

Residential construction surrounding Spokane International Airport will continue to be prohibited for at least two more months.

Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to continue a moratorium on new housing on more than 10 square miles in the West Plains.

Planning staff presented options to greatly reduce the area affected by the moratorium. But commissioners rejected those ideas and said they need more time to ensure development guidelines won’t risk the futures of the airport or Fairchild Air Force Base.

“Let’s figure out what can be done and how it fits into the big master plan,” said Fred Zitterkopf, a member of a Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce committee that advocates for the base.

County leaders approved the moratorium in October on land mostly south of U.S. Highway 2 and north of Interstate 90 in response to concerns from airport and base officials.

The land is zoned light industrial, which didn’t allow residential construction until commissioners changed the rules in 2005. Mielke and Commissioner Mark Richard want to amend the moratorium to allow housing in some form. Commissioner Bonnie Mager, however, questioned whether residential uses make sense on property surrounded by industry.

Developers on the West Plains argue there’s a strong demand for housing that will spark other development, bringing jobs and tax dollars to the region.Richard apologized to a couple who can’t get a building permit for land they bought with the intention of building a home.

“Clearly there are things we didn’t contemplate when we made that decision,” he said. “We’re forced to clean up the messes we created.”