Keeping 24-hour parking rule in place

AIRWAY HEIGHTS — City code 10.12.020 declares that no vehicle can park in the same location for longer than 24 hours without moving. Code enforcement officer Kristina Blake wants to make sure it stays that way. Blake urged the City Council at its July 27 study session to oppose a resident’s request that the 24 hour parking code be adjusted to allow for RV parking with a permit.

The unnamed citizen made this request in March. The citizen wanted to store an RV in front of his residence for a guest to use through the summer, according to Blake’s report. Blake’s report to council noted that retired police chief Lee Bennett opposed the proposal, as does code enforcement.

Blake’s reasoning for opposing the request surrounded the likelihood of an uptick in transient activity should 24-hour RV parking be allowed. She noted that Spokane Valley doesn’t have a 24-hour parking code like Airway Heights, and that enables the homeless population to increase activity in the valley.

Currently, Blake said she leaves a flyer warning on vehicles and RV’s after a 24 hour period and doesn’t order a tow warning until at least 48 hours. She added that she’s willing to work with residents if they provide a valid reason for overdue parking stints.

Deputy mayor Sonny Weathers asked that the city provide ways to point people to outdoor storage areas where they could store large items like RV’s. Councilmember Jennifer Morton suggested that the city could list storage options on overdue parking citations, but mayor Kevin Richey was hesitant to list private businesses on city citations, noting that businesses could take issue with either not being listed on the citation or not being at the top of the suggestion list.

Council also heard an update on the Hunter’s Crossing land use amendment from city planner Heather Trautman. Trautman presented a draft of the agreement that would “assist the property in being able to developed consistent with our understanding with the Fairchild Air Force Base that refers to items such as housing density, housing building height (and) building form.”

The proposed agreement came with the private owners of Hunter’s Crossing. A required public hearing is scheduled August 24 before development on the property can begin.

Public works director Kevin Anderson informed council that there are preliminary designs for the 6th/10th/12th corridor, which is an interlocal agreement the city entered with S3R3 Solutions and the city of Spokane in April.

“The 6th/12th corridor ultimately will connect 6th Avenue at Craig Road and will extend along the 10th/12th corridor into the City of Spokane beyond Flint Road,” meeting agenda documentation reads. “This corridor has been listed as an important ‘bypass corridor’ for handling east-west traffic in many regional plans as well as the Airway Heights Transportation Circulation Plan.”

“Punching 6th through to Craig should be one of our top priorities,” Richey said. “I think we’d see less traffic on 6th.”

Anderson noted that they’re considering parking options for the north side of 6th Avenue. Weathers said he wants to see accommodations in the design for public transit to avoid traffic issues.

Councilmember Doyle Inman brought up the issue of roundabouts, as preliminary plans suggest that there would be several in development along the corridor. He said that people generally don’t know how to correctly use the roundabouts on Highway 2, which many people in attendance agreed with. Morton suggested that the city create an educational video on how to use roundabouts, and city manager Albert Tripp said the city could consider adding that to their August e-newsletter.

Finally, Anderson informed council that they have the materials for the Hayford/Highway 2 intersection improvement project and are awaiting approval from Washington State Department of Transportation.

Drew Lawson can be reached at drew@cheneyfreepress.com.