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Down two members, the Spokane Valley City Council chose not to get deal with the devil in the details of the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan on Tuesday night.
Instead, the council agreed – at least at this stage – to continue with the proposed scope of the plan, which includes rezones and use changes on Sprague Avenue and Appleway Boulevard from the freeway overpass to the west to Conklin Road to the east.
It may be decades before there are any real visible changes, especially on the east end of the project area, council members said. But for any real visible differences on the blighted arterial to take place, there has to be some direction from the city.
“It seems to me this is the comprehensive plan for this corridor,” said Council Member Bill Gothmann. “I like the approach the council has taken – but maybe we take the implementation in stages.”
There has been plenty of criticism on the city’s ambitious plan to spur development on Sprague, which first seeks to spur growth in the University City area with a new city hall, library, boutique stores and townhouses by limiting certain uses in other areas along the corridor.
It’s those limits – keeping restaurants or certain retail stores out of the mixed-use zones in the middle of the blocks between major intersections, for example – that have caused many business owners and others affected to complain the city is attempting to “downzone” them into less-profitable uses.
“I’ve been discouraged by this term ‘down zoning,’” Council Member Steve Taylor said. “It’s a negative buzzword. The real estate market is flexible.”
Taylor said that while some existing uses may change on Sprague, others would open up such as allowing for housing. Stacked units with office space and townhouses could exists side by side, and with parking moved to the rear it would allow for greater flexibility for building frontages.
“There’s actually an increase in the number of uses,” said Deputy Mayor Dick Denenny.
What a property owner can do with his or her land, of course, depends largely on where it is located on the corridor. The current draft of the plan calls for the far-west portion of the area, where the freeway passes over Sprague, to be a
“gateway commercial center” where more urban buildings with higher frontage coverage, wider sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly layout would be prevalent. Farther east, that zone would segue into the “gateway commercial avenue” of Auto Row, which would be a themed specialty district that would combine vehicle display space with compatible “medium box” type commercial stores. Used-car dealerships – previously not in the plan – would be allowed in this area.
From Dishman-Mica to Bowdish Roads would be the city center area, and its zoning has been classified as the “heart of the community” as an urban district to accommodate pedestrians with entertainment, shopping and dining along with urban homes and office space. The mixed-use and neighborhood centers, which are clustered on the busy intersections, dominate the remainder of Sprague.
Appleway Boulevard would be dominated by a “residential boulevard” zone that would emphasize green space along with compatible multifamily and some office space.
There may also be some wiggle room on the hotly debated rule that would require land owners to adhere to new design standards if remodel work exceeded 20-percent of the property. That number could get higher in some instances, giving businesses a bit more breathing room.
“I’m in favor for taking a close look at that,” Taylor said.
The council will take up the topic of Sprague-Appleway revitalization again in two weeks at its Oct. 7 meeting.
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By
Mike Huffman
