Author: Adam Marshall -
uncategorized -
Nov. 22, 2024
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TONIGHT! Friday Nov 22nd Tune into KXLY @ 6:30pm Thorpe DNR Property Story
Spokane City Council Meeting Please attend and support the ordinance to delay decision on the Thorpe- DNR property Dec 2nd 6:00pm City Hall 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd
**PUBLIC HEARING** Thorpe-DNR property Please attend and/or testify Dec 4th 6:15 pm Spokane Central Library 906 W Main Ave
November 19, 2024 Community Meeting Recap A decision is now pending regarding the fate of a 190 acre DNR parcel approx ¼ mile SW of the Hwy 195/Thorpe intersection. Washington Dept of Natural Resources is looking to transfer this parcel for land with a developer for a commercial parcel in Bellingham. There is a 60 day comment period on the transaction. It is vital that residents of Latah Valley make their voices heard. If this land is sold off to developers, it will go from a natural area/forested land to a proposed additional 1,000+ unit adjacent to the 1000 unit Victory Heights housing development on Thorpe Rd. Please write a letter, send an email, and attend the following meetings if possible:
DNR / Thorpe Rd Property
On December 2, 2024, the City Council will vote on a resolution requesting a delay for DNR’s final decision to allow additional time for input and feedback from more stakeholders.
Francis Sijohn, Executive Director, Spokane Tribe of Indians, spoke to the need for a "cultural review” of the land. Latah is the word for "fish" in the Salish language. Lands stretching from north of Colfax to south of Colville are recognized by the Federal Government as the aboriginal homelands of the Spokane Tribe. The Spokane Tribe is the only tribe recognized by the Federal Government as aboriginal to this land. The Tribe wants to be good stewards of the land because of the possibility for archaeological remains as Latah Valley was a fishing camp for the Tribe.
Per Councilman Dillon, the City does not endorse building on this tract of land due to the potential ingress and egress issues. CM Dillon would like to see the land remain a conservation area and wants the community to have a voice. This property makes a good case for a conservation area due to its proximity to the Trolley Trail/Fish Lake Trail. He further explained that the 2022 Legislature allowed land swaps by DNR and per Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, DNR is selling tracts of land for budgetary concerns.
Moratorium May 2024 to May 2025
Adam Marshall explained that the Moratorium was put in place for many reasons linked to infrastructure, development and emergency response.
Last week, the Washington Department of Commerce signed on to provide $1 million of the estimated $8 million needed to build a Latah Valley fire station. The Spokane Fire Department Chief has entered into a contract to initiate the design study for construction of the station. After more than 2 decades of waiting for a permanent and fully fire station, we are seeing actual progress. Preliminary plans are for the station to be a multi-shared regional site with multiple agencies. There still remains the need for more budgetary commitment. Funding was allocated for Wildfire Mitigation assistance for homeowners.
Transportation issues are to be evaluated during the Moratorium, with the potential for new roads and more public transportation utilizing Spokane Transit.
Good news: City Engineer, Inga Note, confirmed that the intersection of Grandview Ave., W. 16th and W. 17th has completed being surveyed for redesign with the area reverting to City ownership.
The Design Team was given the green light to design the revision and submit it for bids in 2025 with a projected completion in 2026.
Adam Marshall expressed concerns around the fact that developers are still actively pursuing plans for housing units while there is a moratorium in place. The 425 houses of the Marshall Creek development was approved by the Hearing Examiner because it dates back to 2020, pre-Moratorium.
Councilman Dillon expressed concern that proposals on the table for alternate funding of infrastructure improvements are predicated on exponential growth and City funding remains in limbo due to budgetary issues.
Latah Valley Sub-Area Plan
A Sub-Area Plan has been funded for the Latah Valley. A Sub-Area Plan can help with revitalization, increased infrastructure, etc. This is an excellent opportunity to be part of shaping the future planning of Latah Valley concerning roads, transportation, schools, community centers, fire, and parks. We are stressing community members be part of this process.
Insurance Issues Latah Valley is rated below the national standards for fire response times. This is one of several reasons that homeowners are seeing rate increases and/or cancellations.
Neighbor Pat Nault has been researching insurance issues along with CALV and found that Farmers, Amica, Grange, and Progressive have all done cancellations in the 99224 area. She contacted David Ford, Senior Policy Adviser, Insurance Commissioner's Office, and he is expecting more data in about a month regarding cancellations and "denials." He said many times the reasoning given to homeowners is vague. Our area is "on the radar" along with other fire prone areas like Wenatchee. His suggestion is to use FireWise to make your property more fire safe. Data shows 95% of houses that are ignited by embers are destroyed and embers can travel a mile ahead of a fire. There is a small fund for homeowners who can't get any other coverage but it is short term and very expensive. Matthew Sorey, an insurance representative, reminded us to make sure that our agent has up to date information regarding the age of our home's roof, siding, and even our current drivers license information.
SUMMARY
Keep the pressure up, IT IS making a difference. Decision makers are now aware we are watching and we ARE involved. It is critical that we all make our voices heard regarding issues facing Latah Valley
1. Write letters to DNR supporting conservation of the Thorpe Rd/DNR property
2. Hold your representatives at the city and state levels accountable, CONTACT THEM!
3. Attend the City Council meeting on December 2, 2024 at 6:00 PM.
4. Attend the DNR Hearing on December 4, 2024 at 6:15 P.M. at the Downtown Public Library
5. Attend meetings and hearings regarding the Sub-Area Plan or become a member of that board.
6. Encourage Spencer Gardner, City Planning Department, to attend our next meeting.
