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Election date set for proposed 100-acre housing subdivision in Pasadena Park

About 100 acres of undeveloped land in the Pasadena Park neighborhood between Garland Avenue and state-owned land along the Spokane River that includes the Centennial Trail could be developed for residential construction if the area is annexed into the local irrigation district to provide water to the parcel, shown Aug. 22. The land belongs to the real estate arm of the Cowles Company. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Emily White emilyw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5444

An election date has been set for landowners in a Spokane County water district to determine the fate of a proposed housing development in the Pasadena Park neighborhood north of the Spokane River.

Cowles Real Estate is proposing to build a subdivision with a maximum of 400 homes on about 100 acres near the Maringo Trailhead of the Centennial Trail in unincorporated Spokane County.

The election will be held Oct. 7 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the district office at 9227 E. Upriver Dr., said Aaron Dunham, the irrigation district’s attorney. The district is not mailing ballots. Qualified voters – those who own land within the district – can request an absentee ballot and pick one up after filling out an Absentee Voter’s Application and delivering it to the district. A simple majority of all votes cast is required to approve the annexation of the housing development into the district, Dunham said.

Irrigation district elections are not run by the county election’s office, but by the district, Dunham said. It’s typical for irrigation district elections to be held in person.

The district’s board of directors decided to hold an election after residents raised concerns during an August board meeting about the development’s potential impact on water rights, traffic and schools in the area. Public comment during that meeting lasted three hours, Dunham said.

Voters should bring a photo ID and the Spokane County Assessor’s parcel number of the land they own within the boundaries of District 17. If voters forget their parcel number, they can provide their address to vote in the election.

Irrigation district elections are uncommon in Spokane County, but not unheard of, Dunham said.

“I represent several irrigation districts in Spokane County, and this is the first election on an annexation that I have been involved with,” Dunham said.

Irrigation district 17 has about 2,800 customers; however, not all are landowners, said the district’s office manager, Amy Smith.

People in the neighborhood have been using the land as an open space for decades. The Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review, is planning to develop single-family homes on it. The Centennial Trail and Spokane River are directly to the south. Homes and subdivisions border the land on the west and north.