AIRWAY HEIGHTS – After a request for funding to help sponsor a roundabout at Highway 2 and Lawson Street was removed last week per council’s desire, the 2021 state legislative agenda was approved Nov. 16 at council’s legislative session.
Council requested that the Highway 2 and Lawson Street roundabout request be removed out of concern that roundabouts weren’t the best solution to facilitate north/south vehicle flow at its Nov. 9 study session.
The legislative agenda that was approved features five priorities, chief among which was a request for $16 million divvied over four years for an alternative water source to replace contaminated public wells that resulted from the PFOS chemicals that contaminated the city’s domestic water supply in 2017.
The City and U.S. Air Force has identified an alternate water supply as a solution to the well contamination,” meeting documentation states. “An alternate water supply is the most cost-effective option for providing the city with a safe and sustainable supply of drinking water.”
Two funding priorities concern the subarea plan for planned industrial growth in the 300-acre subarea south of Highway 2.
The first is for $741,000 toward installing water and reclaimed water infrastructure to support industrial development.
The second is for $1.8 million to install a sewer main and lift station service to two “committed industrial businesses,” meeting documentation states. The city expects those two businesses to generate 325 new industrial jobs.
The fourth request is for $3 million in transportation funds for Phase 1B of the West Plains Connection project, which is seeking to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 2 with the creation of a new east/west connection through the city.
The final request is for a military benefit zone, “that would expand financing tools for military communities to support and encourage private economic development.” No funding request total was specified.
Council approves letter supporting urban growth area amendment
The city will show its support for an urban growth area amendment near Deer Heights Road to allow residential, public and commercial developments in a 180-acre area through a letter to the Spokane County Board of Commissioners. The letter was approved at council’s legislative session Nov. 16.
The urban growth area boundary expansion proposal was first brought to council on Jan. 10 by Jack Kestell, who was representing property owners Jeff Ewing and Mark Osborn. The area in question is northeast of Deer Heights Road and 12th Avenue on the east side of the city into Spokane city limits.
The Spokane County Board of Commissioners, which is the final authority in these decisions, voted to “facilitate the swap of the UGA areas of 180 acres that includes the Spokane County ORV Park for the Ewing/Osborn property and to declare the processing of the application for the UGA modification as an emergency comprehensive plan amendment” in October, meeting documentation states.
The emergency comprehensive plan amendment allows the application to be considered this year, instead of in 2021.
Council’s sub-committee discussed the application for a UGA amendment and a possible letter of support Nov. 9.
According to a draft of the letter provided in the meeting packet, the sub-committee considered several factors, including the current housing shortage in Spokane County, the mission expansion of Fairchild Air Force Base, business expansion and development, city population growth, declining amount of available land for residential development and existing limitations for housing due to flight safety areas around Fairchild.
The letter states that council found the proposed land exchange would provide residential growth opportunity in city limits and potential expansion sites for Cheney Public Schools while lying outside the safety zones of Fairchild and Spokane International Airport.
The land also lies adjacent to the 6th/10th/12th Avenues corridor improvement area, which is planned to provide an alternate arterial aimed at diverting some traffic off Highway 2.
Council passed the amendment regarding the letter of support unanimously, 4-0.
Drew Lawson can be reached at drew@cheneyfreepress.com.
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