City rewriting shoreline rules

Plans to erect high-rise structures along the shore of the Spokane River could be halted if the city moves to tighten regulations on shoreline development in coming months.

The city is in the midst of a multiyear effort to update its shoreline master plan, and there is currently talk at City Hall about implementing design standards that would protect views of the river from high-rise development.

City staffers are working with consultants on a draft of stronger regulations that would govern building setbacks from the river, height, width, uses and design. The new shoreline rules could spawn controversy over environmental design and property rights.

State lawmakers are requiring cities and counties to update their shoreline plans. Spokane’s existing plan was adopted in 1976, and generally allows high-rise buildings between 50 and 200 feet of the river from the Spokane Falls upstream to the eastern city limits. A 35-foot height limit is in effect in the shoreline area only when a proposed high-rise would block views of other residents, according to the city code.

A seven-story condominium project at the Upper Falls was allowed because it did not block residents’ views.

Planning Director Leroy Eadie described Spokane’s existing shoreline law as “overly simplistic.” He said planners are considering regulations that are “much more intelligent.”

A draft of the new rules is still being written and won’t be made public for another month, officials said. Hearings are expected later this spring before the Plan Commission and City Council.

The direction the city is moving was foreshadowed last month during a public meeting when a consultant from California described how cities such as Portland and Vancouver, B.C., have taken steps to protect scenic views and that Spokane should consider similar regulations.

“We have to protect views,” said Daniel Iacofano, a principal designer with the MIG firm based in Berkeley, Calif., which is working on an update of Spokane’s downtown design plan.

During a briefing before the Plan Commission last week, longtime Spokane architect Warren Heylman repeated a call for stronger building regulations along the river. He has been a critic of the high-rise erected at the Upper Falls as well as announced plans for additional condo high-rises over the falls.

“We have done some very bad things recently,” Heylman said.

Heylman said protection of views should extend beyond the 200-foot shoreline area that is established in state law.

Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architects of Seattle said the new shoreline regulations should protect the unique combination of topography and vegetation that are at the center of the city.

Shoreline regulations should encourage public access and new investment along with stewardship.

“It’s a natural area within the heart of an economic engine, if you will,” Hinshaw said.

Plan Commissioner Dan Murphy voiced concern that tighter regulations could harm property rights.

Hinshaw said there is no textbook answer for shoreline regulation. “I think every community has to decide for itself,” he said.