Maggie Yates - myates@spokanecity.org or Erin Hut - ehut@spokanecity.org
Thursday, December 26, 2024 at 1:04 p.m.
In effort to improve community health and safety, Mayor Lisa Brown and her Administration are putting forward two ordinances that aim to establish a Community Health Impact Area within downtown.
The first ordinance establishes an Alcohol Impact Area (AIA) designed to mitigate problems with illegal activities linked to the off-premises sale and consumption of alcohol in a geographic area. A downtown AIA was previously in place but was inadvertently repealed by the former administration.
Mayor Brown’s proposal aims to address the impact of the off-premises alcohol by seeking to prohibit the sale of single-serve containers which are a significant source of litter downtown.
Although crime in downtown Spokane is down over the past year, alcohol-related incidents in the area have grown 64 percent over the last three years. A study from the International Journal of Drug Policy found “each additional off-premises alcohol outlet was associated with a 16.6% increase in neighborhood overdose rate.” Meanwhile, local data shows an exponential increase in local overdose calls for service in downtown Spokane.
Studies also show that off-premises alcohol outlets are disproportionately located in communities with lower incomes and in neighborhoods with a higher percentage of non-white residents. Locally, half of the residents in the Riverside neighborhood live below the federal poverty line and have access to three off-premises alcohol outlets for every 1,000 residents.
Additionally, as of October 2024, more than half of off-premises alcohol outlets within the downtown police precinct area were selling high-octane alcohol products that were previously restricted less than two years ago within the former downtown AIA.
“Re-establishing an Alcohol Impact Area is an important step toward addressing some of the root causes of crime within downtown Spokane,” Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall said. “Our data shows that when the previous downtown AIA was in place, it was directly correlated with a lower rate of alcohol-related calls for service.”
Simultaneously, the Brown Administration is looking to leverage the Community Health Impact Area within downtown to target policy and programmatic resources that mitigate the disproportionate public health and secondary neighborhood impacts of the addiction crisis.
The second ordinance would restrict the sale and distribution of smoking paraphernalia such as glass pipes, and foils unless at the point of sale the seller also provides naloxone at no additional cost. Despite being marketed for legal use, these smoking paraphernalia are commonly used to consume illicit substances, including fentanyl. In effort to support the affected businesses and improve health outcomes across the Community Health Impact Area, the Spokane Fire Department will also offer quarterly naloxone trainings for downtown businesses.
“These targeted emphasis areas help create safer and healthier neighborhoods. Through these ordinances, we are working to improve overall public health, enhance safety, and address long-standing inequities that disproportionately impact vulnerable communities,” Mayor Brown said.
“Over the last year chairing the Public Safety and Community Health committee my goal has been for us to build a community where all people can feel safe, empowered, and welcome. These ordinances are critical step toward our city coming together to fulfill that promise,” said Councilmember Paul Dillon. “I am grateful to the Brown Administration and Chief Hall for marshalling data to inform good policy decisions that create a safe and healthy Spokane.”
“Reestablishing an alcohol impact area is an important tool in downtown’s public safety strategy,” said Emilie Cameron, President & CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership. “We’ve seen firsthand how removing these products from downtown shelves reduces public intoxication, crime and litter while positively improving the vibrancy of our downtown core. We appreciate the opportunity to work with Mayor Brown to bring back a strategy that continues to be effective in downtowns across Washington state and look forward to working with the administration to address the overdose crisis in Spokane."
Dr. Neven, who serves as CEO for Consistent Care and partners with the City on its high utilizer initiative added, “I am excited for the rollout of these new policies, which tackle challenges downtown with a commitment to public health and overdose reduction.”
