Council has growth decisions to make

Growth is inevitable in Liberty Lake, but it’s up to elected leaders to decide how the city grows.

Liberty Lake City Council’s planning commission would like growth to occur within the city’s current boundaries, but urban expansion appears to be more likely, according to Community Development Director Doug Smith.

“I think the council is listening to the public’s input and then they’re having to look at all these other considerations that they outlined,” Smith said. “And they’ll consider what’s going to be best for the city … We don’t have the option to do nothing.”

Spokane County commissioners urged Liberty Lake and other cities in the region to delineate urban growth areas after recent studies predicted a 50 percent spike in the county’s population over the next 10 years, from 440,000 to 660,000. Liberty Lake’s City Council can recommend urban growth boundaries, but ultimately county commissioners can make their own decision.

So the council has two options. It can suggest a location for the UGA that best suits the city. The council is currently considering the north and south sides of the city.

Or it can rezone the city and expand within the current boundaries.

Many Liberty Lake residents are pushing for the latter option. Kathi Shirley, secretary for Community Addressing Urban Sprawl Excess, on Tuesday night presented the council with 792 signatures voting for no expansion.

“There is adequate space within the city if the zonings are changed,” Shirley said. “And that’s what CAUSE and the people who signed the petition would like to see. They’d like to see the increased density versus spreading out into areas that they don’t want to see urban densities.”

Council member Wendy Van Orman agreed that few residents want massive expansions, but she questioned the alternative.

“Do we want to go skyscrapers in this community or do we like our small, hometown feel?” Orman said.

For now, it appears Liberty Lake’s population of 6,200 could more than double within existing boundaries without serious congestion, officials have said, but city leaders are considering living conditions 20 years from now.

“Nobody wants to see every tree removed from the hillside,” Smith said. “But there is a balance between preserving every hillside and making sure we have adequate lands to accommodate the growth that’s going to be here.”

Councilman Brian Sayres said he believes this growth can happen quickly, or never, for that matter.

Mostly, the council wants to make some kind of decision about its future growth instead of leaving it entirely to county commissioners.

The council plans to submit its recommendation to county commissioners in four weeks. On March 20, it will meet for a public hearing where residents are invited to participate in the final discussion.

Also, Councilman Dennis Paul will be stepping down from his seat in the spring. Registered voters who have lived in Liberty Lake for at least a year are eligible as replacements.