Application/Permit Number: Z20-075SSDP
Upriver Drive from Mission Avenue to North Center Street. Adjacent to the Avista Campus at 1411 E. Mission Ave.
Avista
Avista is proposing to vacate Upriver Drive for the sole purpose of developing Upriver Park for public use, providing public river access for non-motorized boaters and for realigning the Centennial Trail adjacent to the river. The proposed three (3) acre area will be developed as a Park to encompass and improve this reach of the Centennial Trail and improve existing access to the River. The Centennial Trail will be realigned and expanded to twelve feet (12’) to accommodate the pedestrian and bicycling traffic. Two (2) entry areas will be integrated in the park on the north and south sides. Other elements will likely include, a brick arch, park benches, signage, picnic tables, bike racks, kayak stands, lighting and a concrete type amphitheater seating area at the north entry/plaza. A 10 foot to 20 foot length of gabion wall near the middle of the reach will be opened and reformed to allow pedestrian access from the Centennial Trail to the existing Shoreline Trail, an existing dirt path through the riparian area along the Spokane River. An existing reach of jersey barriers along Upriver Drive will be removed to open views of the shoreline and river. The project will remove only non-native vegetation and enhance ecological functioning, as these will be replaced with native vegetation between the new trail and the river. Irrigation will be installed, as appropriate, to establish the native vegetation. Landscaping on the west side of the trail away from the river will provide a more managed park setting, with lawn, trees and shrubs consistent with nearby City parks. Managing the vegetation will assist in eliminating illegal camping opportunities in the immediate area and open up view sheds to the river. Public safety will be improved by the vacation of Upriver Drive by eliminating, or significantly reducing, traffic at the Upriver Drive/Mission Avenue intersection. Additionally, the development of Upriver Park will enhance public safety for Centennial Trail users by eliminating the current shared space between vehicles and trail users. As a requirement of the street vacation, Avista will modify the Upriver Drive and North Center intersection to allow a better flow of traffic for the reroute.
The Planning Director issued a Letter of Approval with conditions on June 3, 2020. The date of the last day to appeal is the 17th of January, 2019 at 5 p.m. The appeal fee of $250 must be paid in full at the time an appeal is made. An appeal shall take the form of a written statement of the alleged reason(s) the decision was in error.
Written comments should be sent via mail or email:
Planning and Development Services
Attn: Tami Palmquist
Principal Planner
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
Spokane, WA 99201-3329
tpalmquist@spokanecity.org
