The City of Spokane is initiating a short land-use study process regarding the North Monroe Corridor and the residential uses around it which is being led by Kara Mowery and Kevin Freibott at the City Neighborhood and Planning Services Department.

At this point, the North Monroe Corridor has been designated and planned, and the City has updated its Comprehensive Plan and Municipal Code policies accordingly.  However, when the City considers the transition between the Corridor and the surrounding Emerson-Garfield neighborhood, as well as the current extreme need for housing in the City and the opportunities presented by unique centers like North Monroe, the City Council and the planning staff feel it might be worthwhile to explore changing some of the land uses and zoning around the corridor.  That might mean more medium-density residential zones in the immediate vicinity of the Corridor or it might mean another more specialized solution.

The City of Spokane looking to convene a stakeholder committee, a small group (~10) of dedicated individuals willing to meet three or four times to discuss the issues and develop possible solutions.  The City of Spokane is in a bit of a bind because the timeline for this study is rather short. The City would like to have a proposal identified by the end of the year, so the meetings will be taking place between October 28 and November 15. Dates and times TBD. Interested parties may also attend these initial stakeholder meetings to observe the process; the City of Spokane will have a window at the end of each meeting to hear comments from any members of the public who would like to speak.  

The stakeholder group will be focused on developing a proposed plan of action that would achieve the following:

• Consider land use changes by engaging neighborhood stakeholders and exploring alternatives.
• Focus on providing a transition between CC and residential zoning in appropriate locations to reduce land use conflicts between neighbors.
• Consider allowing mixed-use and multifamily uses where not currently allowed (rezone?).
• Support recent investments in transit and infrastructure on North Monroe with additional nearby housing opportunities.
• Support walkable and cohesive public realm on cross and parallel streets to Monroe.

This is a map the City of Spokane has made showing the zoning around the corridor as well as the bus stops, one of the many factors the City is look at when considering these kinds of projects. The City of Spokane working on some background research and information and will shortly have a webpage and informational materials for everyone to read and engage with. 

In the meantime, all are welcome to provide input in a variety of ways during this process, including by calling (509.625.6146), emailing (kmowery@spokanecity.org), filling out the online survey (to be posted shortly), or by attending a City of Spokane public workshop at the end of the year.

The City of Spokane will be posting all of this information to the webpage:  https://my.spokanecity.org/projects/transitional-residential-uses-on-north-monroe-corridor-project/. 

Interested parties may also attend these initial stakeholder meetings to observe the process; the City of Spokane will have a window at the end of each meeting to hear comments from any members of the public who would like to speak.