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Got something to say over proposed efforts to “calm” traffic in neighborhoods or improving the quality of streets? The city of Spokane Valley wants to hear from you.
In early 2009, the Spokane Valley City Council will be asked to adopt a set of revised street-design standards. But before that happens, city staffers are hoping to get some input from citizens.
The new street standards will establish requirements for street design, construction, inspection and maintenance. They will also attempt to improve circulation, making for easier access for emergency vehicles.
“The revised standards will be clear, concise, easy to understand and administer,” said John Hohman, senior engineer.
City officials decided it was time to update the street standards in Spokane Valley as they are the same rules as Spokane County’s, adopted after incorporation in 2003. Most of the existing standards were put in place to serve a more rural community, and the county allowed areas to develop with dead-end streets or long, wide roads that encourage excessive streets in the ever-growing urban environment that Spokane Valley has become.
There are also safety issues to consider, Hohman told the City Council when he brought the proposed revisions forward for review on Nov. 4. Many housing developments in the city have private roads or that are narrower than the 28 feet required for access by larger fire trucks. Also, some neighborhoods are “landlocked” by private roads without access to public streets or have sufficient turnaround access for emergency vehicles.
The proposed revisions are more in keeping with provisions laid out in the city’s comprehensive plan, Hohman said. They also incorporate new pavement design, construction and inspection requirements that will hopefully enable the streets to last longer without costly reconstruction and repair.
County commissioners voted last week that they would no longer be doing the city’s road plowing or street pavement patching after Oct. 15, 2009. (See story elsewhere in this issue.)
The new standards will be incorporated into the uniform development code (UDC) and encourage greater connectivity to neighborhoods, Hohman added.
When the matter was discussed last month, council members advised that the new rules should not be too cumbersome or costly to developers.
“We don’t want to fall back to having problems with added requirements or added costs,” Mayor Richard Munson said at the time.
Council Member Steve Taylor said he didn’t want too many “warm and fuzzy ideas” to stifle future development.
The revised standards will be available for review beginning Dec. 22 at www.spokanevalley.org. CD copies are available by calling Patty Romero at 688-0297.
Public comments will be accepted on the street standards until Jan. 30, 2009. Comments may be sent by e-mail to promero@spokanevalley.org or mailed to Spokane Valley City Hall, Attn: Patty Romero, 11707 E. Sprague, Spokane Valley, WA 99206.
A developer’s forum is also planned for Jan. 9 at City Hall, and comments will be recorded at that time.
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By
Mike Huffman
