10-story building draws concerns

A 10-story office building is proposed a block west of the Spokane County Courthouse, prompting county commissioners to call for more information Tuesday.

Commissioners asked their facilities director, Ron Oscarson, to get the heights of other nearby buildings – including their own jail – to help them decide how to react to the office tower proposed by West Central Development LLC.

They also wanted to know about “view corridor” policies intended to protect vistas of the historic landmark courthouse from downtown.

From the north, views of the courthouse already are blocked by the county’s 12-story jail.

Oscarson told commissioners the maximum height of buildings in the Kendall Yards development, now under construction south of the courthouse on the north bank of the Spokane River, would be six stories. On average, a story takes about 10 feet, but it varies depending on construction and design.

As neighbors of the proposed office tower, commissioners have until Oct. 12 to submit written comments about the proposal to the city of Spokane Planning Services Department. The tower would require a zone change from O-35 to OR-150.

The zone change would allow buildings as tall as 150 feet, compared with the current maximum of 35 feet. The courthouse tower is 168 feet tall without its flagpole.

The proposed L-shaped building – in the block bounded by Broadway, Mallon, Adams and Cedar – would wrap around existing row house apartments at the corner of Broadway and Adams.

“I don’t think we’ll be competing with the courthouse in any way,” said Luann Padgham, acting as agent for the development company she operates with her husband, Dr. Marcus DeWood. “The courthouse is a beautiful building, and we don’t want to detract from it.”

Padgham said the broadest part of the proposed office building would be along Mallon, reducing its impact on Broadway Avenue and the front of the courthouse.

Padgham said the project has the support of the West Central Neighborhood Council, and Oscarson told commissioners he had confirmed that in discussions with the council president.

“We really have been trying to work with the neighborhood,” Padgham said.

She said that includes orienting the building away from Broadway Avenue and pursuing the neighborhood council’s request for a small grocery store and a day care center in the new building.

Oscarson told commissioners that some local historic preservationists have expressed concerns, including loss of courthouse views from the west and opening the neighborhood to taller buildings.

If the zone change isn’t approved, Padgham said, West Central Development probably will proceed with a 35-foot-tall building. That’s the same height as the Monroe Court Building behind the courthouse, at 901 N. Monroe, where Padgham’s company has its offices and the county rents space.