One of the participants in helping refine the draft Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan is nationally recognized retail expert Robert Gibbs of Birmingham, Michigan.

Gibbs is considered a leading urban planning consultant by some of the most respected mayors, architects and shopping center developers in America, having advised on plans for more than 300 town centers and historic cities across the US, Canada, the Pacific Rim and the Caribbean - nearly every new American town center constructed during the past 15 years. Profiled in the Atlantic Monthly, Consumer Reports, the New York Times, Urban Land Institute, and The Wall Street Journal, Gibbs is known for his innovative, yet practical solutions - and for his articulate presentation style.

On the latter point, Gibbs was recently filmed before an audience in Kirkland, Washington, speaking on “New Trends in Town and City Retail Commerce.” The link below leads to Kirkland’s site and to the on-line video of his talk.

Many of the lessons and trend discussions helped inform the vision for the Sprague-Appleway plan, and help illustrate how town centers like the one proposed for Spokane Valley can help improve land values, economic vitality and local quality of life opportunities. Check it out!

Robert Gibbs: “New Trends in Retail Commerce" (Weblink, WIndows Media Player® required)

Due to an enormous turnout at the Thursday, March 13 Planning Commission hearing, the official public comment period for the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan has been extended, and a second meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at 6:00 pm.

On Friday the 14th, Project Manager Scott Kuhta sent the following message to those on the City’s notice and project e-mail list:

Due to the large audience and amount of public testimony shared with the Planning Commission at last night’s hearing, the Planning Commission has continued the Public Hearing regarding the Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan and Corridor Subarea Plan document until March 20th, 2008 at 6:00 pm.  There were approximately 150 people in attendance last night and testimony was shared regarding the roadways, building orientation and setbacks, zoning and signs.  Anyone who did not get an opportunity to speak to the Commission is invited to do so on March 20th. The meeting will be held at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Avenue in the Council Chambers, on the first floor.”

Any written public comment can be sent to . The Commission voted last night to leave the public comment period open until the close of business on Friday March 21st, 2008.

We are hoping to have the minutes from last night’s meeting (in draft form) done by Tuesday March 18.  We will be posting those to the website and will send out the link as soon as they are posted.  We will also be posting any written comment to the website and will send an alert as soon as that is accomplished.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.  Check out the project website for information contained in and regarding all aspects of the plan at http://www.spragueappleway.com. 

Sincerely,

Scott Kuhta, AICP
Project Manager and Senior Planner
509-688-0049

Have questions, comments, ideas or thoughts about the plan? Get in touch soon - the Planning Commission’s review of the document will provide critical recommendations for later consideration by Council, so now’s the time to read up, consider the future of the Valley, and weigh in!

Development of the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan has involved hundreds of residents thus far, and ideas and comments continue to arrive as the draft plan moves forward.

But we wanted to provide another quick overview of ways residents can weigh in on the plan, including:

• Attend scheduled meetings and hearings. Details on all scheduled events, including Planning Commission and Council hearings will be posted here, and if you’d like e-mail notification of upcoming meetings, join our mailing list. (Fill in the field on the right-hand side of this page)
• Post your comments on individual items or stories on this website - if you see a “Comments” link below the story, just click and add your thoughts. We’ll add it to the public record, and you can check out what others are saying, too.
• Send your thoughts directly via e-mail. Any of the contact links you’ll find on this site will work perfectly, but here’s another - .

Long-range efforts like the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan need your input in order to work well. Review the plan, and add your thoughts!

At the most recent joint City Council and Plan Commission meeting on January 19, Troy Russ of transportation consultant Glatting Jackson presented a slideshow covering transportation elements needed to carry the Sprague and Appleway plan forward, including the plan’s various boulevard, multi-modal and commercial transportation proposals.

The link below opens a reduced-size copy of Mr. Russ’ presentation. Though it doesn’t include audio or commentary, the document does include a great many images, notes and schematic plans of what’s envisioned - and why it’s beneficial - for the Valley corridor area.

Russ Presentation (5.9 Mb, Acrobat® file)

On Thursday, March 13, the Spokane Valley Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to receive input and deliberate on the draft Sprague and Appleway Corridors Subarea Plan. Notice on the meeting was published in the Valley News Herald and the Spokesman-Review on February 22, and is also scheduled to run in the February 29th issues.

The plan affects all property fronting Sprague Avenue and Appleway Boulevard between I-90 at Sprague and approximately one half mile east of Sullivan Road, and proposes new development regulations for all properties within the Plan Area, including building use, heights, setbacks, building orientation, signs, parking, streets and open space and building design. It also includes recommendations for street network improvements for Sprague and Appleway.

The hearing will occur during the regular meeting of the Planning Commission, Thursday, March 13, beginning at 6:00 p.m. A copy of the meeting notice is linked below, in addition to a copy of the press release issued March 3.

Hearing Notice (44 Kb, Acrobat® file)
Press Release (28 Kb, Acrobat® file)