County delays vote on YMCA facility

The future of a privately-owned property surrounded by Riverfront Park remained uncertain Tuesday after Spokane County commissioners said they needed more time to decide whether they should purchase the land.

Spokane parks leaders have asked the county to tap its Conservation Futures tax to buy the downtown YMCA and the four-fifths of an acre it sits on to return the land to a natural state.

“I’m torn, as many of you are,” said County Commissioner Bonnie Mager. “The question is, is Conservation Futures the right medium?”

In 2006, the YMCA almost sold the land to a developer who had proposed building a condominium tower on the site, but the city parks department used its first right of refusal to stop the deal and put $1 million down on the land.

The deal can’t be finalized until the parks department pays the YMCA the remaining $4.3 million still owed on the property, and the city has only until spring to come up with the money.

About a dozen people testified at Tuesday’s hearing.

Afterward, commissioners unanimously voted to delay action for four weeks.

Parks leaders argue that construction of a condo overlooking Spokane Falls in the midst of Spokane’s signature park would hurt the integrity of what was designed to be an urban refuge. They also say that the Conservation Futures property tax, which is paid by county and city residents, is the perfect solution because its use would allow the purchase without raising taxes.

Robbi Castleberry, a member of the county parks committee, said buying the land would create “a complete Riverfront Park.”

“It would be an incredible legacy to leave for future generations,” she said.

But some have said private development shouldn’t be shunned within the park.

Others, including Friends of the Falls, a group working to develop a whitewater park downstream, have questioned whether its purchase would prevent the acquisition of other land.

Spokane resident Chris Kelly testified that the city should find different money to buy the property. Conservation Futures taxes should be reserved for bigger properties already in a native state, he said.

“The money could be better spent buying large amounts of endangered land,” he said.

But the only other option to preserve the land is asking city voters for an additional property tax, an action that would be “a last-ditch, desperation measure,” said Steve McNutt, a Spokane Park Board member who wrote the proposal requesting the county’s consideration.

If the proposal wins county support, the city would operate the YMCA building as recreation center for five years before tearing it down and restoring the land to native state.

Parks Director Barry Russell said the department should be able to generate about $185,000 a year in profit from the building through recreation fees and by renting out office space.

The city has committed to set aside an additional $100,000 a year so that after five years, almost $1.4 million would be available to tear down the YMCA and to put the land in a more natural state.

Conservation Futures collects about $1.5 million a year.

County parks officials have recommended paying for the purchase over 20 years to allow the program to continue examining other properties for purchase.