Drainage issues put proposed development on hold

SPOKANE COUNTY — Homeowners in the West Plains neighborhoods of West Terrace Heights and Crystal Meadows received an early Christmas present when Spokane County Hearing Examiner David W. Hubert sent a proposed high-density development back to the drawing board for additional work.

Hubert found the Aero Road Planned Unit Development (PUD) Preliminary Plat, a 5.14-acre plat on the southwest corner of Aero and Fruitvale roads that proposes to subdivide into 35 lots with 68 duplex units and one single family residence, failed to adequately manage stormwater runoff from the PUD.

The high-density development proposed 15.86 dwelling units per acre, just over Spokane County Comprehensive Plan standard of 15 per acre.

While Hubert was OK with exceeding the density standard, it was what the developer planned to do with stormwater runoff that was the fatal flaw, and he ordered the developer, Whipple Consulting Engineers, to first “ensure compliance with the Spokane Regional Stormwater Manual,” before he would approved the proposed plat.

It was a significant victory for neighbors, many of whom have suffered everything from excessively icy roads, to flooded streets, basements and crawlspaces in the neighborhoods to the southeast of the Medical Lake Interchange near the Fairways Golf Course.

Homeowners in one neighborhood remain locked in an ongoing struggle with county engineers to mitigate sump pump discharge from basements onto county streets, basements they allege should never have been allowed in the first place.

“I’m glad they have to review their plan,” resident Craig Ulleland, a former mayor of Ritzville who attended the hearing examiners meeting said. “The whole area has issues. They need to keep the water on their property.”

According to Hubert, the PUD’s original plan was to discharge stormwater from the development into an existing retention pond adjacent to the property.

Although originally designed to carry that load, local residents successfully demonstrated to him that the pond was unable to handle more water.

Resident Gerd Scheller submitted a PowerPoint presentation complete with photos of neighbors kayaking in flooded streets near the development.

Many areas of the West Plains have high groundwater levels and stormwater issues due to underlying and impenetrable basalt close to the surface that prohibits stormwater absorption and causes flooding in many areas during wet seasons.

“There is a failure of the stormwater management systems … and is thus inadequate to accommodate the projected stormwater runoff,” Hubert wrote in his decision, indicating the developer must “adequately provide for the management of stormwater drainage,” in compliance with various county standards and reports.

Whipple has until Jan. 31 to appeal the decision to Superior Court, according to the hearing examiners findings, or to resubmit the proposed plat design.

Neither Whipple Consulting Engineers nor representatives of the hearing examiner returned calls for comment by press time.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.