Council approves Hession’s choice for planning director

Spokane has a new person to lead its planning efforts as the city considers new development strategies downtown, along shorelines and near the future north Spokane freeway.

The Spokane City Council on Monday approved Mayor Dennis Hession’s choice for planning director, Leroy Eadie.

Eadie, 40, isn’t exactly new to the role. He’s been acting director since March when his predecessor, Steve Franks, left to become development services director for Olathe, Kan.

Councilman Al French praised Eadie for his “creative thinking.”

“You’re not looking at the way things are, but the way things could be,” French told him before the council voted 5-0 for his appointment.

Eadie, who will earn $81,703 a year, started with the city in 1994. Before his promotion, he was manager of current planning, the portion of the department dealing with specific development projects. Previous to that, he served as the neighborhood planning manager.

In a brief interview with the council, Eadie said part of his goal is to improve customer service in current planning.

“It’s not making the process more simple,” he said. “It’s better explaining how the process works.”

The department is starting or is in the midst of several significant examinations of land development. The City Council recently approved new spending to invigorate efforts for specific neighborhood plans. Planners also are working on new goals for downtown revitalization and on rules for developing along shorelines.

One of the bigger long-range tasks soon to be undertaken is a comprehensive look at the land surrounding the future north Spokane freeway, Eadie said.

Eadie, who grew up on the Colville Indian Reservation and lives in the Cannon Hill neighborhood in Spokane, received an urban and regional planning degree from Eastern Washington University in 1993.

His wife, Melissa Eadie, also is a Spokane planner. Since her husband’s promotion to acting director, she has been reporting to other administrators and will continue doing so to avoid violating the city’s nepotism policy, said Theresa Sanders, the city’s economic development director.