Parkside decision postponed

After roughly 90 minutes plus of testimony and closed-door deliberations, the Cheney City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to postpone a decision on the controversial Parkside Commons apartment complex rezone until its next regularly scheduled meeting April 25.

In making the motion, Councilwoman Teresa Overhauser stated the postponement was so the council could be "better informed" about the issues surrounding the change, which would allow for 39 more units to the proposed complex, as well as visit the site. The motion passed 6-0, with Councilman Ryan Gaard absent from the meeting.

The rezone applicants, construction management company Eastmark Group and Greenstone Homes - the owners of the site at the corner of North Eighth and Cedar streets - are proposing to change the zoning from R-3 multifamily residential to R-3H multifamily high-density residential. The move would give the applicants the ability to expand their proposed student-housing complex from 76 total units to 115.

The rezone has met with resistance from neighbors and other residents who have voiced concerns about the density of the development, increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic, on-street parking problems and snow removal issues in the area one block north of Eastern Washington University.

In conducting a two-day public hearing, Cheney's Planning Commission deadlocked 3-3 on whether or not to approve the request. That sent the rezone to the council without any commission recommendation.

As per state law, council took no more public testimony from the 15-20 residents at the meeting, but did hear from the applicants - also allowed by state law. Greenstone's Jim Frank praised the work of the city's staff - which recommended approval of the request - in putting together the information, noting that the project fulfills the city's comprehensive plan and the state's Growth Management Act's goals of encouraging infill development that takes advantage of existing infrastructure.

Frank and Eastmark principal Sean Barnes both said the project addresses the traffic and parking issues residents had raised because of its proximity. Franks said Parkside would essentially function much like Eastern's nearby residence halls, and could decrease traffic issues because students would be able to walk to campus rather than drive, as many do from multifamily student housing such as Eagle Point, The Grove and complexes along Betz Road.

"If you don't put it here (North Eighth and Cedar), it ends up on farmland or down on First (Street) and then people drive," Barnes added.

After the vote, Mayor Tom Trulove told those in the council chamber that the decision to postpone comes from a need to make sure the findings of fact from the public hearings and staff reports support the action requested.

"The action is to rezone the site in question from R-3 to R-3H," Trulove said.

He also reminded the audience members that the public record is closed, and additional information about the request cannot be created or added. Trulove asked the audience to abstain from "lobbying your favorite council person" about the issue.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.