Nathan Rusch, Planning & Development Services, No Phone Number Available
Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 1:16 p.m.
Now in its eighth week, Shaping Spokane has seen waves of input come in and recede. Following strong participation the first two weeks after the launch, enthusiasm from the public has begun to fade. By the beginning of the third week, 241 icons had already been posted on the interactive map. Now in its seventh week, Spokane has identified 310 unique and defining locations within its 27 neighborhoods.
Perhaps all the interesting hideaways have been spoken for, but there are still ears willing to hear what you have to say about the character of the natural and built environments in your neighborhood. On the Shaping Spokane website, you can fill out the My Neighborhood Story section and give a more detailed insight into those qualities that can and cannot be seen. You can also take a quick 10-question Shaping Spokane survey.
As change inevitably occurs within neighborhoods, the features that are most attractive and important should be protected and even enhanced as much as possible. The first step is to identify what's most valued in each neighborhood. This is the goal of the Shaping Spokane neighborhood planning process.
Additionally, an important goal for each neighborhood profile is to identify the physical elements that give the neighborhood its valued character. This information will be available to anyone who may be considering a new project in the neighborhood to understand early on what the areas residents care about and value most. This is an important first step toward helping guide new projects that will fit in well and improve the neighborhood's look, feel and sense of community.
Thus far, 11 neighborhood stories have been submitted in 10 of the 27 Spokane neighborhoods. It is our goal to receive up to 10 stories per neighborhood – 270 in all. Ambitious maybe, but very possible. Your comments are carefully read over and are used to develop a neighborhood profile that will be a part of the Comprehensive Plan of Spokane.
As a further incentive to participate, each week one story will be selected from the week's submissions to receive a gift certificate from a local business. This week's giveaway is a free large pizza from South Perry Pizza.
