By AL STOVER
Staff Reporter 

Commission recommends proceeding with Highway 2 planning process

 

Last updated 12/19/2014 at 10:08am



At its Dec. 11 meeting, the Airway Heights Planning Commission voted unanimously to forward a resolution to City Council that approves the Highway 2 Safety and Revitalization concept and planning process.

During the meeting, Development Services Director Derrick Braaten presented the commission with a PowerPoint that explains why city staff is proceeding with the project. Braaten added that SPVV Landscape Architects will help facilitate the planning process.

“The hope is that people who are driving along Highway 2 will slow down and take in a little bit of the city,” Braaten said.

Braaten said residents’ participation is essential to the process and the city cannot move forward on the revitalization project without it.

“We have research that shows we are moving in the right direction,” Braaten said. “Now we need the public’s help. We want this to be their project.”

In the past, the city has tried different efforts to revitalize Highway 2. In 2006, the city, in a coordinated effort with local business owners and Eastern Washington University, created a plan to develop the Highway 2 corridor between Lawson Street and Lundstrom Street. The plan was developed, but the city never adopted it.

In 2010, city staff attempted to reinitiate the plan. The city held several open workshops with little public attendance. Some business owners in the planning area were not satisfied with the work and the project never moved forward.

Several residents got a glimpse of the 2014 project when staff presented the concept at the city’s festival back in August. Residents gave input and suggestions of different features they would like to see along the highway. Staff has also surveyed business owners and residents throughout the city. Some concerns include the current appearance of city sidewalks and the designated bicycle lane along Highway 2, which residents feel is not adequate or safe.

The concept of the revitalization project includes implementing a trail system along Highway 2, a trail alignment, a unifying theme, passive traffic controls and landscape along the corridor. Braaten said adapting the basic concept is a first step that will enable the city to apply for different grants.

After the city adopts the plan, the concept will be broken up into several phases. As staff develops each phase, they will coordinate with the public for support. The final phases will have a high level of detail with amenities such as art, benches and lighting based on a design theme. An aviation-inspired design theme was proposed at the November meeting.

The commissioners expressed concern about the conditions of some of the features on the highway and wondered if improvements to those areas would be a part of the revitalization plan.

Commissioner Aspen Monteleone asked about the abandoned buildings along the highway and if the plan included removing them. Braaten said the city has to undergo a different process to remove those buildings.

Commissioner Matthew Pederson said while he supported the planning process and having residents involved, he suggested staff should also focus their attention on city streets that need work, specifically 14th Avenue.

“We need to focus on what we know we need to take care of,” Pederson said.

Commissioner Kal Patel suggested staff create a pilot project to show residents how the plan will benefit the city’s future.

Braaten hopes to create public work groays ups for the project that includes business owners and residents. He said staff will focus on different to reach out to residents, including traditional approaches such as mailing notices with utility bills and holding public hearings. They will also use social media and “probably some ‘guerilla marketing.’”

“We’ll probably put up some signs near areas like Walmart,” Braaten said. “We need the public’s participation on this. We’re here to serve them, not ourselves.”

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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