Emerson Garfield

Public Meetings for the Comprehensive Plan Update

January 30, 2013 Emerson Garfield

The City of Spokane Planning and Development Services Department is going to host three public meetings to gather input from citizens on the 2012-2014 Comprehensive Plan Review and Update.

Why is this important?

The city’s Comprehensive Plan (PDF link) is just that — a plan that covers every aspect of how Spokane aims to grow and develop in the coming years. Put simply, it’s our city’s vision for the future, and it determines what kind of decisions are made in the here and now. If the Comprehensive Plan mandates that the future of housing is in floating islands suspended by airships, you can (almost) bet that the city will direct current home-building practices toward this end.

But the vision of the future is not writ in stone, and it has to adapt to the ever-changing present. That’s why the Comprehensive Plan is updated every few years, and those updates are usually carried out with input from the public.

If the public doesn’t get involved in these processes, then the city naturally assumes everything is hunky dory and goes ahead with whatever it was going to do in the first place — which is precisely what has led to questionable planning decisions in the past. Not that the city is entirely at fault in these cases. How can they serve your neighborhood if the needs of your neighborhood aren’t made known to them?

Hence the importance of these public input meetings.

The public meeting for Council District 3, which encompasses Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood, will take place on Tuesday, February 19 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Shadle Public Library (2111 W. Wellesley Ave, STA Route 20/33).

Don’t feel as though you have to be an expert on planning to attend. Each meeting will begin with a presentation on the background of the Comprehensive Plan and the update process. That will be followed by an interactive survey and activity stations.

For more info, contact Jo Anne Wright or Nikole Coleman-Porter in the Planning Department at (509) 625-6300.

Oh, and five points to whoever can name the town depicted in the drawing above.

Online Voters’ Guide for Feb 12 Special Election

January 25, 2013 Emerson Garfield

An online voters’ guide (PDF) for Props 1-3 in the upcoming (Feb 12) special election is now available.

Here’s the breakdown:

Proposition No. 1 proposes to amend the City Charter to add two new sections regarding the Office of Police Ombudsman and a Police Ombudsman Commission. Proposition No. 1 proposes to amend the City Charter to add two new sections regarding the Office of Police Ombudsman and a Police Ombudsman Commission.
Proposition No. 2 proposes to amend the City Charter to provide that a majority plus one vote, i.e. five votes, of the City Council would be required to levy a new councilmanic tax or increase an existing councilmanic tax.
Proposition No. 3 proposes an increase in the regular property tax levy in excess of state law beginning in 2014 in which the funding would be allocated one hundred percent to library operations. This proposition authorizes an increase in the regular property tax levy for 2014 by $0.07 per $1,000 of assessed property value for a levy rate not to exceed $3.08. The increase would remain in effect for a period of four years.

Citizen Code Enforcement Volunteers Needed

January 23, 2013 Emerson Garfield

The Office of Neighborhood Services/Code Enforcement is currently accepting applications for Citizen Code Enforcement Volunteers.

Code Enforcement makes sure that all the niceties of neighborly living are maintained, even if there’s one party that doesn’t see why the niceties of neighborly living are necessary.

So, for example, Code Enforcement is what keeps your neighbors from erecting an 8-foot-high fence along your property while you’re away on vacation. When polite requests fail, it provides a route for reprimanding the homeowner with a dog that barks constantly. It’s a civilized, formal means of addressing the problem when one home on your block becomes a haven for junk, strange animals, fire hazards or late-night parties.

But the Code Enforcement team can’t be everywhere. That’s why they’re looking to train Citizen Code Enforcement Volunteers, who will be the “eyes on the streets” for Code Enforcement Officers. The volunteers will help identify code violations, and these violations will then be passed on to Code Enforcement Officers to perform further investigation.

Here’s what volunteers will be expected to do:

Identify code violations
Fill out Code Enforcement Violation forms on property owners
Take photos of violations if necessary
Act as a code enforcement liaison to neighborhood council and citizens
Be a witness in case of civil infraction or misdemeanor criminal charge is pursued
Must respect expectation of privacy as well as personal safety
Hand out dump pass and clean-up event material when there is a need

Yes, it has an air of Police Academy 4 about it, but upholding basic standards of consideration and community decency doesn’t automatically make you a tattletale or a busybody. Everyone wants to live in a pleasant neighborhood.

Interested? Download the background info and application pack here.

Valentine’s Dinner at Petunia’s

January 18, 2013 Emerson Garfield

Petunia’s Marketplace — a great organic and gourmet food store right here in Emerson-Garfield — has paired up with Rebecca Gunselman of the award-winning Robert Karl Cellars to host another popular dinner evening.

This time you’ll be able to treat your Valentine to a multiple-course dinner featuring sumptuous food, local wine, and indulgent chocolate.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

Savory Chocolate brushetta and spicy cacao shrimp paired with 2011 sauvignon blanc
Chicken mole paired with 2009 claret
Baby-back ribs with savory chocolate barbecue sauce over mashed sweet potatoes with 2009 Inspiration
Coffee-cacao rubbed beef tenderloin and sautéed mushrooms with 2008 Gunselman Bench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Decadently chocolate dessert paired with 2010 merlot

You have 2 Saturdays to choose from:

Saturday, February 9 at 5pm OR
Saturday, February 16 at 5pm

The cost for the event is $45 — and that includes all food, wine, and amazing hospitality.

To reserve a place, please e-mail Petunia’s or call Stacy on (509) 328-4257.

Corbin Center Hawaiian Luau, Feb 15

January 17, 2013 Emerson Garfield

Snow and sub-freezing temperatures got you down? Corbin Senior Center is holding a Winter Get-Away Hawaiian Luau on Friday, February 15. Doors open at 4pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door — but Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council members get $2 off!

Those tickets prices might seem a bit steep, but the cost includes a sit-down dinner with a roasted ham carving station, a champagne fountain with Hawaiian punch (Oh, yeah!), and dancing by Spokane’s Hula Na Hula Na Ho’Olaule’a Dance Company. And you don’t have to be content with just watching— hula lessons will show you how to move your hips like the pros. Feel free to dress for the occasion with leis, muumuus, and wild Hawaiian shirts.

To purchase tickets, call the CSC on (509) 327-1584. To claim your EGNC discount, you might have to present a printout of the flyer above.

Also, don’t forget that the Corbin Center is holding a Travel Fair tomorrow (Friday, January 17) between 12:30pm and 2pm. You’ll get travel packing advice and the center’s upcoming tour schedule for 2013.