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The city of Spokane Valley has a beef with their neighbors to the
east, and it has officials in Liberty Lake stewing.
On Nov. 19, the city of Spokane Valley went to the Growth Management
Board of Eastern Washington with a petition for review of Liberty
Lake's recently completed comprehensive plan.
The petition calls into question a number of aspects of the plan,
saying it fails to comply with principles outlined in the state's
Growth Management Act. The appeal also maintains that Liberty Lake
officials failed to work with other local jurisdictions in the process
of creating the plan.
The Liberty Lake comprehensive plan was officially adopted Sept.
16.
A 60-day window is provided for comment on this type of document
according to state law. Since the plan's adoption, David Mercier,
Spokane Valley's city manager, said the city was "unaware of
any meaningful conversation that has taken place between these communities."
"We've been around for a while," Mercier said. "And
we're just sorry to see the conversations that we should have had
didn't take place."
Scott Kuhta, an associate planner with the city of Spokane Valley,
said there is concern over the lack of a capital facilities outline
in Liberty Lake's overall plan.
Kuhta added that Liberty Lake's plan was not made available for
review by surrounding jurisdictions.
"That's one of our concerns is they did not send us a notice
that it was available," he said.
Doug Smith, Liberty Lake's planning and community development director,
said a draft plan was available on the city's Web site back in May.
He added that any jurisdiction or interest that contacted the city
about the plan was provided with direct feedback.
Smith said the city has brought on an attorney to deal with the
issues raised in the petition. He called the process "a tremendous
waste of time and resources."
"For us, we're really frustrated," Smith said. "One
of the expressed goals of the city of Spokane Valley is to work
on external relations, and this is a heck of a way to start the
process."
Mercier said there was no ill will attached to the petition.
"We have termed it a friendly appeal," he said. "Although
I don't know if that's
the way everyone on the staff of Liberty Lake views it."
One of the aspects of the petition deals with the proposed annexation
of 750 acres of land by the city of Liberty Lake. Smith said the
property, owned by Inland Empire Paper Co., has been a part of the
city's planning agenda since August 2001.
The city of Spokane Valley contends that the future annexation
area does not comply with Spokane County's comprehensive plan and
that Liberty Lake failed to describe how they would provide services
to that area.
Mercier said he met with Wayne Frost, general manager of Centennial
Properties, a subsidiary of Inland Empire Paper Co., which owns
the property, about the possibility of the city of Spokane Valley
annexing some of the land.
"What we tried to do is to acknowledge there was a variety
of interests and come up with a balance of interests," Mercier
said.
Frost said that the decision to have Liberty Lake annex the land
was made two and a half years ago. He acknowledged that there were
discussions with the city of Spokane Valley but said the choice
to go with Liberty Lake was based on being part of "a contiguous
community."
"We're always willing to listen, but the way we ended is just
the way we started," Frost said. "We just happen to be
between two cities. The good side of it is both cities wanted this
land - but at some point, you decide."
Smith bristled at the accusations concerning the capital facilities
void, saying the plan included goals and policy statements for capital
facilites as well as a comprehensive appendix.
The state Department of Trade and Economic Development has sent
the city of Liberty Lake a pair of letters complimenting them on
their comprehensive plan.
"If we had deficiencies, the state would have identified those,"
Smith said.
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