Marlene Feist, Utilities Communications Manager, No Phone Number Available
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 1:45 p.m.
Elected officials from Spokane County and the City of Spokane met this morning to continue their joint discussions on growth. Today's meeting is the fourth in a series of collaborative meetings to establish parameters for regional growth and development.
Much of the meeting was focused on urban growth area boundaries and how they meet the intent of the state's Growth Management Act.
County Planning Director John Pederson detailed proposed changes to the urban growth area (UGA) adjacent of the City of Spokane. Pederson discussed why some areas are recommended for inclusion in the UGA and why one large area is recommended to be removed from the UGA. The changes are intended to recognize areas that already have urban-style development and others that are defined to support future population and business growth, Pederson said.
Discussions by the officials centered around how areas are connected to other urban development, how they could be served by sewer and water utilities, and how they would connect to transportation infrastructure. Officials also talked about how to continue to accommodate the needs of schools throughout the community as they grow or need to replace facilities.
In other business, the City's Utilities Division Director Rick Romero provided an update on the City's Water System Plan, discussing the City's retail water service area and what that means for growth. The Spokane City Council is scheduled to vote on adoption of that plan within the next several weeks.
The officials discussed a path forward to complete the work that was originally contemplated and made plans to set their next meeting. Last May, City of Spokane and Spokane County officials kicked off a year-long effort to collaboratively plan for how and where our community should grow. The goal is to find mutually beneficial solutions that provide the greatest results for all of our citizens.
Citizens can comment on the information presented at this meeting or on growth issues generally via email at growingspokane@spokanecity.org.
