Council taking it slow on corridor

Spokane Valley City Council members favor a “baby-steps” approach to an ambitious plan to revitalize the Sprague-Appleway corridor.

They embraced Mayor Rich Munson’s suggestion Tuesday to focus on the first phase of the 20-year plan, and emphasized that the whole plan is subject to change.

Council members were in no hurry to consider a possible bond measure to help develop a city-center district and restore two-way traffic on part of Sprague Avenue and Appleway Boulevard.

Instead, they wanted to know more about the cost of early stages in the proposed traffic changes.

The council Finance Committee had suggested a bond election in May could establish a “nexus” with this month’s vote to build a new library in the proposed city center among other library improvements, Munson said in an interview.

But other council members fear a vote in May would be premature, and the go-slow view was the clear consensus Tuesday. There was no discussion of a bond measure anytime soon.

“I think that’s off the chart now,” City Manager David Mercier said afterward.

Getting something on the May ballot would require a council decision before March 29, Mercier noted.

Councilman Dick Denenny said proposals on next Tuesday’s ballot to form a Greater Spokane Valley Library Capital Facility Area and pass a $33.4 million bond measure is “one of the major things” the council needs to consider before deciding how to proceed.

In addition to providing a new Spokane County Library District branch on Conklin Road and expanding the Argonne branch, the bond measure would pay for a new $24.9 million Spokane Valley branch as a cornerstone of the city center project.

Another reason for waiting, Denenny said, is that the public is still “not too well aware” of the revitalization plan. He figured it might take eight months to a year to get people up to speed.

Councilman Bill Gothmann thought the council should develop a public information campaign. He called for information on how much the proposed traffic changes on Sprague and Appleway would cost in their early stages.

Munson and several other council members also wanted to hear what people have to say at next week’s Planning Commission public hearing on the revitalization plan. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

Councilman Steve Taylor joined Munson in emphasizing that consultants’ recommendations in the plan may be amended by the Planning Commission or the City Council. Mercier said the Planning Commission is expected to deliver its report in late May or early June.

“No one should get the impression that this is a done deal,” Taylor said.

That includes whether to reduce the number of traffic lanes on Sprague and Appleway and have two-way traffic on both streets, Munson said.

Although businesses have supported restoration of two-way traffic on Sprague, commuters have defended the present one-way couplet.

Although the plan calls for extending Appleway to Evergreen with two-way traffic, Munson noted changes would be limited at first to the section between the Sprague interchange of Interstate 90 and Dishman-Mica Road.

Munson speculated that the council may not want to do more “until we find out whether the city center is doing what we want it to do.”