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The city wants to hear from you – no matter what happens in 2010.
While there are no guarantees that a new City Council next year will move forward on plans to develop a new City Hall at University and Sprague, plans for a “city center” at that location are still on the table. And city officials want public comments on the matter.
Last week, the city held a “scoping meeting” to show off plans and get some initial feedback on the city center proposal as part of the environmental impact statement for the potential development. Even though there were about 20 in attendance for the Nov. 18 gathering, the fact there even was a meeting at all struck some as odd as several of the new council members elected in November have gone on record as saying they are not supportive of a new City Hall or many of the zone changes under the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan that would make such a city center possible in the first place.
That, however, does not bother Mayor Richard Munson.
“It gives the council some more input,” the mayor said the day after the meeting. “I don’t think there’s unanimity to do away with the city center.”
Munson did add, however, a city center without a city hall “doesn’t make sense.”
When quizzed by those in attendance about that same issue at the meeting, Scott Kuhta, senior planner for the city, said without a city hall or a new library – voters rejected a $33.3 bond sale for new library construction last year – the job of developing city center becomes more difficult, but not impossible.
“Certainly the library was an attractive anchor,” Kuhta said. “But it doesn’t mean this can’t be successful. It does make it more challenging, sure.”
Under the draft environmental impact statement – which can be found online at www.spokanevalley.org -- there are three options being considered for the city center project. The first is to take no action, while the others highlight a “high intensity” mixed-use for the 225 acres and a “low intensity” mixed-use. The high-intensity model would split retail and high-density housing evenly while the other model would favor commercial development with less housing.
The document also lists impacts to land use, public services and utilities, transportation, and air quality.
Comments will be accepted through Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. They may be sent to Kathy McClung, Director of the Department of Community Development, City of Spokane Valley, 11707 E. Sprague Ave., Suite 106, Spokane Valley, WA 99206 or e-mailed to kmcclung@spokanevalley.org.
Printed copies of the draft environmental impact statement can be found at City Hall of at the Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Sprague.
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By
Mike Huffman
