Jeff Humphrey, Media Content Coordinator, 509.625.6308
Monday, July 16, 2018 at 5:04 p.m.
Some of the coolest things that have happened in downtown Spokane lately got their start as great ideas from ordinary citizens.
So now the folks at City Hall are hoping to hear more about what’s on your urban wish list.
“It’s important to us as planners, and the city as a whole, to understand everyone’s vision for downtown, said city planner Kevin Freibott.
Resident Carrie Snyder came to a recent “Downtown Connect” event in Riverfront Park.
Snyder would like the City to look at ways to make some of our alleys more inviting to people traveling on foot.
“I think it creates, like a magical experience. You know you want to go to a certain place. You want to go to a coffee shop, bookstore or restaurant. The trip there becomes as special as arriving at the destination,” explained Snyder.
When people were asked to post their hopes and dreams for downtown’s future, many said they want more green spaces, fountains and little hide-away spots to, even for just a few moments, call their own.
“It transports you to a different place. You’ve got your own little place with a pretty window and maybe you look at the river or people passing by,” said Donna Newman, another person who stopped by the Downtown Connect tent.
While it may seem there’s literally not much room left for improvements downtown, just the opposite is true. 20 percent of our commercial properties are vacant.
So now, as part of a 10 -year plan called Downtown Central, the City Council will consider ways to make it easier to bring new life to empty storefronts.
“This is free research for developers. We’re happy to share all the information we have. This is what the vision is. Let’s build this vision,” Freibott said of the suggestions planners are gathering from the public.
So now city planners want to know your vision for making downtown even more vital and inviting in the future.
One thing downtown Spokane can’t seem to get enough of is more affordable parking.
This fall, the City will hear the results of a study that will find a better way to use the spaces we have.
And now help is on the way to make it easier for you to stash your car outside the downtown core.
The six-mile long Spokane Central City Bus Line starts taking shape in 2019 and will whisk commuters to larger, less expensive parking lots on the outskirts of the downtown area.
So now’s the time to plant a seed in the minds of city planners and let them know what you would like to see downtown as well as what attractions would lure you downtown.
“We’re going to take that to stakeholders. We’re going to take that to City Council and say ‘look, this is what people love about our city. This is what they want more of in our city.’ That’s the step where we are at. Come tell us what’s great and we’ll see what we can do to enhance it,” pledged Freibott.
For more information about making out your urban wish list go to downtowncentral.org.
The next Downtown Connect event is happening Wednesday, July 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Kendall Yards Night Market.
