The Spokane Comprehensive Plan is the one unified document that coordinates and guides all the City's activities. As part of the larger planning process, Link Spokane is the integrated transportation and utility components of the Comprehensive Plan.
Link Spokane it the tagline for the process of updating the City's Comprehensive Plan and policies. This update has focused heavily on "linking" the City's approach to street and utility (water and wastewater) infrastructure projects based on common goals. For more information review the LINK Spokane story below.
The City began the update for the utilities in 2018 beginning with the Water System. Work is under way now for updating the Water System Plan and 20-year capital facility water plan. As the work to identify capital facilities to meet existing system deficiencies and future growth began, it became evident that the City needs to choose the desired outcomes of the future. A prioritization matrix was chosen as the first step to establish an affordable outcome that met the City’s goals for sustainability and social responsibility.
In 2020, the City initiated a Multiple Object Decision Analysis (MODA) process to choose a future strategy to meet the City’s Utility goals. Future water system planning is a complicated process that requires balancing existing and future planning needs, anticipating growth and regulatory changes, as well as meeting community expectations. To achieve this intent and meet City’s long-term goals requires a focus on creating resiliency within the water system to address existing and future development, aging infrastructure, and addressing foreseen and unforeseen risks.
A draft MODA Framework was developed with the goal to create a decision-making process based on the City’s goal. The final outcome Link-Utilities will be recommended revisions and upgrades to the City’s policies, Design Standards and the Spokane Municipal Code (SMS).
Six Year Comprehensive Programs are annually updated and presented to the City Plan Commission for recommendation and to the City Council for adoption. Staff works directly with the departments within Public Works and Utilities to identify and coordinate capital projects and to scope projects. The Capital Programs Section performs strategic infrastructure planning, conducts special studies and provides general planning functions to support the Public Works and Utilities Departments. Staff seeks, develops and administers grants, loans and other revenue sources for the City's capital projects.
View the list of the Six-year Water and Wastewater Programs
Link Spokane began with an update of the Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and followed with update of City's Design Standards and Spokane Municipal Code (SMC). The approved Comprehensive Plan 2017 along with the final Transportation Chapter is available on the Comprehensive Plan page.
On February 24, 2015, a workshop meeting was convened to engage in discussions and provide information in relation to Link Spokane and regional activities concerning freight and goods mobility. Providers of freight and goods mobility services along with local agencies were invited to participate and present. In the coming months, there will be additional activities planned for of this work group and opportunities for additional discussions.
The movement of goods by freight trucks, trains, and planes is vital to the economic success of Spokane. It is also important to balance this movement of freight with the needs of a safe, livable community.
More than half of Spokane's freight is moved by truck, about 40% is moved by rail, and the remainder moves by airfreight. Freight moving through the city and local deliveries are vital components of our local and regional economy. For freight passing through Spokane, major freight corridors are necessary to expedite the movement of goods and to concentrate heavy vehicle circulation on urban streets. In Spokane, the major freight corridors are North Market Street, North Greene Street, North Freya Street, and I-90. We need to balance local freight streets in such a way that respects the needs of goods movement, while maintaining safety and comfort for other users.
Below is a list of presentations from the meeting:
The Plan Commission Transportation Subcommittee (PCTS) is charged with helping to select arterial reconstruction projects. The Subcommittee has worked closely with city staff to bring together a prioritization matrix for arterial streets. This scoring matrix has been applied to all arterial streets that have not recently been reconstructed through the bond or other grant programs.
Katherine Miller, PE
Integrated Capital Management
509.625.6338
kemiller@spokanecity.org
Colin Quinn-Hurst
Planning and Development Services
509.625.6804
cquinnhurst@spokanecity.org
Marcia Davis, PE
Integrated Capital Management
509.625.6398
mdavis@spokanecity.org
Kevin Picanco, PE
Public Works
509.625.6419
bblankenagel@spokanecity.org
Inga Note, PE
Integrated Capital Management
509.232.8813
inote@spokanecity.org
