The City Council recognized the plan and the planning work that went into the creation of the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan by resolution on Monday February 6, 2017. The Plan Commission held a hearing on January 11, 2017 to recommend a resolution to City Council recognizing the plan and the work of the community.
Thank you to everyone participated in the creation of the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan and to those who attended the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan Open House on August 23, 2016. The final draft Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan was presented at the Open House with 50 people in attendance. More information about the Open House is below. Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council began consideration of the plan at their regularly scheduled meeting on September 20th, 2016 and continued consideration to their next meeting on November 15, 2016. The Neighborhood Council's motion on November 15, 2016 states: "We support moving forward with the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan, as submitted by Studio Cascade, in order to start the studies that will develop the specifics of the Plan."
Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council meets every other month on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, at 7 p.m., at the Southside Community Center (27th & Ray). Visit their webpage for more information.
The master plan describes priority actions that will help position the district to take advantage of existing resources, encourage reinvestment and create a more vital district center. These actions will require collaborative action by the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, the City of Spokane, residents and property and business owners in the area. This plan does not change zoning or development regulations in the area.
Key first steps identified by the report focus on creating an advocacy group for the district. The Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council is interested in facilitating this next step. Other neighborhood and business advocacy groups in Spokane that are being considered as models are groups like the South Perry Business and Neighborhood Association or East Central Business Association. Both associations have been instrumental in helping these neighborhood business areas succeed and be a benefit to the community.
Consider attending one of the regularly scheduled Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council meetings at the Southside Community Center to find ways to be involved. Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council is always looking to expand its membership and mailing list. If you are unable to attend but would like to keep up with the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council visit their webpage or follow them on Facebook at "Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council".
Thank you to everyone who attended the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan Open House as well as those who have participated throughout the process.
Approximately 45 participants signed in at the August 23, 2016 Open House, to roll out the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan to the community.
The Open House was designed to highlight several approaches presented in the plan for development of the District Center and lay out potential next steps. A brief project overview was provided by several speakers including: Tirrel Black, Associate Planner for the City of Spokane, William Grimes, Principal Planner for Studio Cascade, and Rae-Lynn Barden, Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council Chair.
Following the presentation, attendees were invited to view display boards while representatives from the City and the Studio Cascade design team provided information and answered questions. The display tables were covered in poster paper, enabling attendees to make comment directly at each table. Comment cards were also available.
Many of the comments regarding first steps emphasized the need for greater pedestrian safety, specifically repainting cross walks, improving bike infrastructure, and changing 29th to a 3 lane road with turn lane and signal.
Don Skillingstad and Karl Otterstrom with the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) were also on site with an informational table to display proposed changes to STA services and amenities.
The community provided generally positive feedback on the Plan, with neighborhood leadership voicing support for the plan. Public comments reaffirmed the plan's call for traffic calming and pedestrian safety. Many community members spoke of the need to weigh through-traffic convenience against the multi-modal transportation goals described in the plan. The recommendation for a detailed engineering study to help guide the design of 29th was echoed by many in attendance and is reflected in the plan. Enhancements along 27th Avenue and the adjacent Thornton Murphy Park were well supported.
Next Steps
Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council will consider the plan at their regularly scheduled meeting on September 20th. Once the plan is approved by the neighborhood council it will be presented to the Spokane City Council for recognition. The City Council will recognize the planning work that went into the creation of the Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan by resolution.
From here, the community will take over, working to organize a leadership team; ongoing neighborhood support and action will be required to carry the plan forward.
In November 2015 a two day community studio was held. Since then planners and the neighborhood have been working on a final report to document the outreach efforts to date and to outline next steps that can be undertaken to reach the goals established through the planning process.
The two-day "Storefront Studio" event was held on November 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. to 5pm at the Southside Church, 2934 E. 27th Avenue. It featured two days of intensive studio work and a community workshop in the evening of November 5. Consultant team members spent their days touring the site, meeting with property owners, business owners, and community members and developing a variety of potential strategies and master planning concepts within the framework of the ULI recommendations and the South Hill Coalition Connectivity and Livability Strategic Plan.
The studio was open from 9:00 to 5:00 both days and the public was able to drop in at any time during those hours to catch up on project progress, offer ideas, and speak with consultant team members and city planning staff. The goal was to have a community conversation about the future possibilities for the district. Within the context of this project, the studio had the following objectives:
A concluding evening workshop on November 5 explored these objectives, providing alternative approaches for the community to consider. The consultant team presented different philosophical approaches to implementing the ULI recommendations and incorporating South Hill Coalition goals, considering the degree of necessary investment in infrastructure, level of private development, and the type of change to the transportation environment. Workshop participants were be able to review, evaluate and comment on the different approaches, suggesting refinements that will help shape the plan.
The South Hill Planning Coalition and the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council have identified planning for the Lincoln Heights district as a high priority. In the fall of 2013, the City of Spokane Planning and Development began to gather baseline information for a study of the Lincoln Heights District Center. The purpose of the study is to develop a vision for this key activity area that is currently zoned for commercial and higher-density residential use. This area is generally focused around the intersection at 29th Avenue & Regal Street but includes the larger commercial area around Lincoln Heights Shopping Center. This study seeks to identify key actions to support the center and to identify potential proposals for any required changes to the Comprehensive Plan or the Land Use Code to support the vision for this area. The study will:
After months of work, a master plan for the Lincoln Heights District Center has been completed. This guiding document establishing district goals for growth and redevelopment was developed as a result of a collaborative neighborhood and property owner planning process. The master plan describes priority actions that will help position the district to take advantage of existing resources, encourage reinvestment and create a more vital district center. These actions will require collaborative action by the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, the City of Spokane, residents and property and business owners in the area. This plan does not change zoning or development regulations in the area.
A workshop was held on Nov. 20, 2013 at ESD 101, 4202 S. Regal. Discussion focused on existing conditions and asking participants to identify areas and topics important to this area.
On March 20, 2014, a walkability tour was conducted with the assistance of Ms. Erin Ross, a graduate student in the EWU Urban & Regional Planning program, twenty neighborhood volunteers andmembers of the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council. Review the walkability report (PDF 30.4 MB).
Urban Land Institute "report back" June 18, 2015 (more details below)
Lincoln Heights District Center Planning Open House and review of ULI work Sept. 30, 2015
An Open House was held on August 23, 2016 from 5:30 to 8pm at Southside Christian Church, 2934 E. 27th Avenue. The Lincoln Heights District Center Master Plan was presented and attendees asked questions of project representatives from the City and Studio Cascade design team.
In June 2015, a Technical Assistance Panel for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) visited the Lincoln Heights commercial district to provide advice regarding land use and development challenges in the Lincoln Heights District Center. The panel reviewed background information provided by city staff including survey information that outlines neighborhood resident interests and concerns.
The ULI Technical Assistance Panel utilized a fast paced workshop format that culminated in an oral report-back summarizing their findings. The report-back was held June 18, 2015. You can view the recorded presentation
In August 2015, the ULI Technical Assistance Panel completed their written report, you can view that here (PDF 7.1 MB).
For questions or to join the email list for this project please contact:
Tirrell Black
Associate Planner
Phone: 509.625.6185
Email: tblack@spokanecity.org
