Children’s Area Library Survey
Spokane Public Library is looking for community input.
Help craft the vision for the children’s areas in the Spokane Public Library’s new bond projects by taking this short survey.
Council Seeks Public Feedback on Water Conservation Plan
Breean Beggs, the Chair of the City Council Public Infrastructure, Environment & Sustainability Committee, is inviting public comment on the City’s first formal draft Water Conservation Master Plan, or WCMP.
Please send your written comments on both this current Water Conservation Master Plan and any ideas for future versions of conservation plans to sas@spokanecity.org or by mail to City Council 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201. You can also call City Council office by phone at 509.625.6255. If your comments are received before Monday, June 1, they will be considered prior to the formal adoption of this year’s plan.
For more information, read Breean Begg’s blog post on the City’s website.
City Council Climate Survey
The Spokane Community is Invited to Participate!
A group of Spokane experts and volunteers are working to study local impacts of climate change on the city of Spokane, and they want to hear from you. The volunteers are part of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee, or SAS.
Spokane City Council created the SAS in 2019 and asked the group to draft a Climate Action Plan. The goal of the plan is to help the City, businesses, organizations and residents respond effectively to the growing impacts of climate change. As a first step to engage wider participation, The City Council is inviting everyone to take a brief, anonymous survey.
City Council President, Breean Beggs says, “The City of Spokane wants to hear from all community members to learn how they think we should respond to current climate challenges. We can only move forward if we listen to everybody.” You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/spokane-sas-survey
Responses to the survey will be used to build content for further interactive community involvement and for developing Spokane’s Climate Action Plan.
The Spokane Climate Action Survey takes about five minutes to complete. If you would like your voice heard on the topic of climate change, please visit the survey website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/spokane-sas-survey. Paper surveys will also be made available at city libraries.
To learn more, visit the SAS webpage: https://my.spokanecity.org/sas
WSDOT seeks public input for I-90 safety improvements along 15-mile stretch west of Spokane
Online survey offers opportunity to help identify potential safety improvements
People are invited to provide feedback on options to improve safety while considering conservation of basalt rock along a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 90, just west of Spokane in the Four Lakes and Tyler area. The Washington State Department of Transportation invites everyone who relies on this section of I-90, including residents, businesses, commuters and organizations that support the Spokane region, to participate in an online survey.
To improve safety, WSDOT plans to regrade the median along I-90 between mileposts 255 and 270. Ten segments have been identified where basalt rock and tree removal could affect views along the highway.
WSDOT is seeking input on two options to improve safety in these locations: installing barriers with guardrail or removing the rock and trees. Each option has an assigned cost, safety and environmental factor to take into consideration. Adding barrier requires additional funding. Please visit the online open house to learn more and take the survey.
The online open house will run Feb. 10-27.
Short Land Use Study on North Monroe – Volunteers needed
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.