The comment period is now open until 5:00 pm, May 2, 2008. All correspondence should be either emailed to dgriffith@spokanevalley.org, or mailed to the City at:
Planning Commission
City of Spokane Valley
11707 E. Sprague Ave., Suite 106
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
The Planning Commission will meet again on Thursday April 17, at 6:00 pm. Unlike previous meetings, the group will move to the Second Floor conference room at City Hall, at the north end of the main hallway.
]]>Public comments on the plan will continue to be received through Friday the 4th, no later than 5:00 pm, and should be submitted to dgriffith@spokanevalley.org .
All commission meetings will take place from 6:00 to 9:00 pm in Council Chambers, City of Spokane Valley City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Avenue. A copy of the April 3 agenda is available below, with an updated version posted later this week.
]]>
On January 19, a joint City Council and Plan Commission workshop heard a presentation made by consultants Michael Freedman of FTB and Troy Russ of Glatting Jackson on the “Book III” portion of the Sprague-Appleway plan, primarily concerning the transportation-related proposals in the document.
Here’s an online video of Russ’ “must-see” presentation, including introductions by Planning Commission Chair Ian Robertson and project manager Scott Kuhta. Just click on the link below to watch the show - it’s a VERY large file, so broadband connections are a must. Prefer a DVD copy of the presentation? Contact project staff member .
]]>From an e-mail notice sent to participants by City staff on Friday March 21:
"The Commissioners and staff felt that based on the amount of testimony, and comments received so far and the complexity of the plan, it would be valuable to the City to give our citizens two more weeks to review all the aspects of the Plan and be able to comment, or comment further if they so wished...it is with constant communication with our Community that we build the community that we want to grow forward with. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions."
Minutes from the March 20 meeting will be posted here or at the City website as soon as transcriptions of comments are completed.
More than 150 residents crowded City Hall on March 13 to comment on the Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan, during consideration by the Planning Commission.
On Wednesday the 19th, the City made minutes of the meeting available, and notified those listed on the project contact list via e-mail.
Interested in seeing the transcribed comments? Visit the City of Spokane Valley website, or follow the links below for a copy of the minutes, or to a City page listing all of the comments received since the beginning of the planning process since 2006.
]]>
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!
]]>
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!
]]>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.
]]>
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.
]]>
On January 19, the Sprague & Appleway Corridor plan process will take another step forward with a presentation by consultants Michael Freedman and Troy Russ at a joint City Council and Plan Commission meeting.
The meeting, which will begin at 6:00 pm in City Hall, will present elements of the “Book III” portion of the plan, which suggests actions the City should take to revitalize the corridor. These include establishing the proposed City center and making transportation and streetscape improvements. Because transportation will be the primary focus of the presentation on the 19th, Russ, from lead transportation consultant Glatting Jackson will speak about the plan’s various boulevard, multi-modal and commercial transportation proposals.
All residents and interested parties are encouraged to attend. As with previous meetings, informational posters, CD-ROM copies and take-home summaries will be available to help introduce the plan to the public.
City Hall is located at 11707 East Sprague Avenue. (GMAP)
]]>Like the large-format introductory posters displayed at project events since release of the draft plan, the flyer provides an overview of the plan’s goals, structure and methodology, as well as City actions required to implement the plan over time.
]]>Entitled “City collects input on Sprague/Appleway revitalization project”, the article interviews project manager Scott Kuhta and Couoncilman Bill Gothmann regarding the process and draft outcomes of the corridor plan.
The article was written by Craig Howard of the Herald, and appeared on January 18, 2008.
]]>
The next chance for public input on the Sprague-Appleway corridor plan will take place Thursday, February 14 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Hosted by the City of Spokane Valley, the open house style event will present the draft plan including new design and development regulations that, in concert with the proposed new City center, will spur mixed-use development and economic growth along the Sprague-Appleway corridor. City project lead Scott Kuhta, staff and consultants will be on-hand to answer questions.
Following the open house session, Kuhta will present the plan to officials at the City’s regularly-scheduled Plan Commission meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The presentation, like January’s Developer’s Forum event, will offer a step-by-step explanation of the plan, and discuss how the new form-based regulations will affect the long-term growth and evolution of the corridor. A question and answer session will follow.
Both meetings will take place at the Spokane Valley City Hall Council Chambers, 11707 E. Sprague (GMAP). For more information, call 688-0232. View a copy of the postcard sent to area residents, and a follow-up article by reporter John Craig on the Developer Forum, published in the January 19 issue of the Spokesman-Review, below.
On Friday, January 18, the City of Spokane Valley will host a "Developer Education Forum" regarding the Sprague-Appleway draft corridor subarea plan. The event will introduce the draft plan, including the new design and development regulations that, in concert with the proposed new City center, will help spur mixed-use development and economic growth along the Sprague-Appleway corridor. City project lead Scott Kuhta will be on hand to answer questions and provide step-by-step explanations of how the new form-based guidelines and regulations will affect future development in the area.
Though the presentation will address questions from landowners and individuals from the development community in particular, members of the general public are welcome to attend. Two additional community forums are planned for the general public, one on January 23 and another on February 14.
The developer forum will take place from 7:30 to 9:00 am at City Hall Council Chambers, 11707 E. Sprague. For more information, call 688-0232. See also the article on the meeting published January 17 in the Spokesman Review, John Craig, staff writer.
]]>