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Applicants Sought for WQTIF Neighborhood Committee

Applicants Sought for WQTIF Neighborhood Committee

The City of Spokane is seeking volunteers for a committee that helps to select public investments in three Spokane neighborhoods – West Central, Emerson-Garfield, and Riverside. The funding for the work comes from a special taxing district created by the City in this area in 2007.

A Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, which includes the Kendall Yards Development, was created by the City and County of Spokane to help pay for public improvements inside the Kendall Yards area and for projects in neighboring locations.

Volunteers are needed for a citizen committee — the Neighborhood Project Advisory Committee — which considers and recommends funding for the public projects in the neighborhoods. Recent work by this committee has included consideration of funds for improvements to the North Monroe area, Dutch Jake’s Park, and the pedestrian suspension bridge in Riverfront Park. The committee gives the citizens of Spokane a key voice in the development of public improvements in these neighborhoods.

The Committee currently has three open positions. The positions include a position for a resident of the Emerson-Garfield neighborhood, one for a resident from the Riverside neighborhood, and one for an at-large position that needs expertise or experience in economic development, finance, and/or real estate.

Tax-Increment Financing is an economic development tool established by the state. It allows for a portion of newly generated property taxes within a defined district to pay for public infrastructure, including traffic calming, sidewalks, parks, and more. In this case, 75 percent of the increased property taxes are used to pay for public improvements over 25 years.

Interested individuals are asked to fill out the City’s application for committees, boards and commissions.

Please submit it to:

Mayor’s Office, fifth floor of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA, 99201

or to

mayor@spokanecity.org
no later than August 30, 2019.

For more information on the West Quadrant TIF district, as well as the Neighborhood Project Advisory Committee, please see the West Quadrant TIF webpage.

Recap of the November 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the November 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

This is a brief recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on November 11, 2015.

Officer Tracy Douglas reported on the monthly statistics for area “P2,” which includes Emerson-Garfield as well as West Central and parts of the North Hill Neighborhood. There were no sexual assaults in our area last month, nor any commercial robberies. There were two robberies of a person, one domestic violence incident, and 14 violent crimes in the last month. For residential burglary, there were nine this month, and the same number of garage burglaries. Commercial burglaries are at seven, less than 13 in the previous month. Vehicle theft is at 20, slightly more than last month, but less over the yearly average. There was a decrease in overall property crime compared to the previous year.

Miscellaneous notes: Neighborhood officers are being pulled out of COPS shops to put the officers in precincts instead. A property near 1800 W Montgomery is a drug house that is being shut down on November 12 due to the involvement of the neighbors. If you leave your vehicle running and unattended, parked on a street rather than in your own driveway, you could be fined $124. Officers like to have address numbers shown on alley garages to use as a point of reference. Officer Douglas also warned against having a glass window built into your back door, which is very tempting for thieves to break when entering.

Councilmember Candace Mumm reported on Drumheller Springs Park by Ash and Euclid. A neighboring piece of property, 3121 Ash, came up for approval for sale as a CDBG property and might be used to enhance the park.

North Monroe is going to be completely renovated during its repair, not least because of its 110-year-old sewage infrastructure. The long-dormant North Monroe Business Association really needs to be reenergized and involved.

Councilmember Mumm said in closing that there is an active effort to put Knox Presbyterian Church, where the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is currently held, on the register of historical buildings.

Gayle Haeger and Rachel Sumagpang spoke about a house at 820 W Spofford that the nearby Spokane Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church bought for an after-school program for kids from third to fifth grade (tentatively) that will be held between 3:30 and 5:30pm four days per week. They are looking for volunteers and encourage interested adults to get in touch.

The meeting shifted to the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. After the CDBG allocations determined in previous months, the neighborhood was left with $24,145 to allocate. It was proposed that $2,135 be allocated to the West Central Community Center for an even $10,000 along with the already reallocated 2015 funds; $11,010 toward the $78,198 sidewalk project on Cedar from Alice to Euclid; and $11,000 toward a $24,793 dog-walking path in Emerson Park that might also discourage transient camping in that area.

The proposed allocation was approved by a unanimous vote with no abstentions. Jackie Caro, even while absent (which is rare), was applauded for her involvement with our neighborhood’s CDBG projects and her guidance.

Amy Dutton reported on the Northwest Boulevard Greening Grant planting that took place on October 31 and involved 15 volunteers. While the area looks beautiful, the southern triangle was not completed in time, as the other two traffic triangles took much more effort than anticipated.

Karl Boldt reported on the neighborhood cleanup program. Faith Bible Church has stepped up in wanting to be involved with the neighborhood. The church brought two dumpsters for “clean green” on November 7, and their volunteers spent three hours driving around the neighborhood to help people rake and dump leaves. Saturday, May 21 is the proposed date for the 2016 Spring Cleanup.

Transitions had a community meeting on November 10 regarding the development of a 24-unit cottage-style development for low- or moderate-income housing. Transitions was very eager to solicit the feedback of both neighborhoods that adjoin the property. If you have strong feelings about that area or the proposed development, it is recommended that you follow up with Transitions directly.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. There was a full house of 120 people at a recent performance by the Corbin Players, which included eight short plays. On Saturday, December 5 at 5:30pm there will be a performance by the Spokane Magic Club, with a requested donation of $3.50 per person and $7.50 for an entire family. The elevator was estimated to cost around $400,000, and $291,000 of that will be covered by the Department of Commerce.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly. The Neighborhood Notification process is now in effect. There are going to be two people per neighborhood who are listed with neighborhood services who are going to be notified of any projects happening in the neighborhoods, and then those two people are responsible for disseminating the information to the neighbors.

Beginning in 2016, there will be a pool of $15,000 among the 28 neighborhoods to draw from for neighborhood projects, such as concerts in the park. It is generally agreed that the funding is not quite enough, so there is an effort to increase the pool. Neighborhoods can apply to the Office of Neighborhood Services for the funding of a project.

The Community Assembly’s Community Development Committee is proposing changes to how sidewalk funding is distributed. They suggest a total pot of $150,000 (half of the $300,000 allocated in 2014) for sidewalk improvements anywhere in the city, as long as the area is in a zone that qualifies based on CDBG criteria. There is a concern that the City has not taken responsibility for maintaining the sidewalks or street trees that are considered to be on City property, a model that was reported to be more common in cities west of the Mississippi. The committee felt that it should be up to the landowners, rather than the neighborhoods, to apply for sidewalk repair projects.

Megan Kennedy reported on the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing (WQTIF) committee, which currently operates with five voting members. The committee and their advisor, Andrew Worlock, are evaluating whether the committee is to be an ear for revitalization projects initiated by others, or if they are to take their own initiative for projects (or a balance of both). Most of the projects are capital-oriented and favor improvements that would increase the economic viability of an area for businesses. Emerson-Garfield is looking for an alternate representative on the WQTIF to assist Megan. Meetings currently take place quarterly but potentially could happen more frequently.

The meeting closed with a reminder to bring a dish to the Winter Potluck on Wednesday, December 9. Everyone in Emerson-Garfield is invited!

Recap of the August 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the August 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Typically the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council holds a very casual meeting with a light agenda after the neighborhood’s Summer Potluck, and this year was no different. However, owing to shifts in the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) deadlines, the agenda included preliminary decisions on how the neighborhood intended to allocate its $56,299 for 2016.

Here’s a brief recap of some of the discussion and decisions from the August 12, 2015 neighborhood council meeting. (Click here for a photo gallery from the potluck.)

Potluck_201510-crop

Because the proposal due August 31 only needed to be an indication of the neighborhood’s interest in particular projects, the allocations were discussed in broad terms. The CHHS “ground rules” this year are that the minimum amount to be allocated to each project, aside from sidewalk funding, is $10,000. That total can be a combination of multiple neighborhoods. Two of the four projects that appealed to voting members involved such cooperation with another area.

The project with the most interest was a collaboration with the North Hill Neighborhood for the vacant property on North Monroe near Cora Street. Trees and shrubs could be planted in order to beautify the unused land. Funding from other sources could cover irrigation, neighborhood gateway signs, and other planting or beautification initiatives.

The second proposal of interest involved the Fulcrum Institute‘s Ash Street Workforce Training Station. The neighborhood council allocated money to the Lands Council for the training station last year, which would serve to train former inmates for work, potentially reducing recurring crime in our neighborhood. This particular project would be partnering with Chief Garry Park Neighborhood for the third training bay.

The third project voted on was the garage or ADA ramp for the West Central Community Center. As a substantial portion of the center’s clients are residents of Emerson-Garfield, this project was of particular interest to the voting members.

The fourth project voted on was for public safety improvements for Emerson Park. Improvements could involve lighting and a perimeter sidewalk. Transients seem to be a strong problem along the perimeter of the park. Increased traffic, such as walking dogs in a loop, might be a deterrent to those who occasionally sleep in the park.

There were other projects that were discussed, but which received no official votes. One such project was the addition of new sidewalks within the neighborhood. This was not chosen as an official project, because Emerson-Garfield is always in need of new sidewalks. We can use the remainder of the CDBG funding for sidewalk projects, and we may also use traffic calming funds for sidewalks.

Another topic of interest was North Monroe revitalization. This road project has been delayed until 2018, so it would not be ideal to allocate funding that would need to be used within the 2016 calendar year. The neighborhood council still has interest in channeling significant funding this project, but it would be best to use this funding closer to the time of the revitalization.

One last topic was SNAP home repair. Because there is no longer a 2-to-1 matching of funds, members did not rank it as highly.

This was followed by reports from various committees. The first report was regarding Corbin Senior Activity Center. Laura Schlangen reported that the Department of Commerce informed the center that the State Capital Budget includes an appropriation of $300,000 for their elevator project. It will cost more than that, but these funds will need to be used soon.

On Saturday, September 19 the center will be having its annual auction dinner. The cost is $30 in advance. She encouraged donations and attendance.

Barb Biles reported on the Land Use Committee. The cell-tower moratorium was extended to October. Notification must be given in advance to occupants within a wider radius of 600 feet. There is also an effort to make the cell-phone towers aesthetically pleasing.

Carlie Hoffman, the neighborhood’s representative on the Pedestrian Traffic and Transportation (PeTT) Committee, talked about how it is difficult to identify sidewalks needing repairs. They desire more participation from residents in identifying those projects.

Carlie also encouraged everyone to view and make use of the new interactive Spokane transportation maps that have a great deal of visual info on transportation conditions.

Megan Kennedy reported on the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing (WQTIF) Committee, which she is hopeful to become an official member of in the coming months. The last meeting the committee did not have a quorum, so it involved more casual conversation, but Megan learned that the development of North Monroe was delayed until 2018 primarily because the City wanted to take the time to weigh options as to how best implement the improvements based in part on continued feedback from stakeholders and in part on what they learn from other corridor improvement processes in the meantime.

The last report prior to the conclusion of the meeting concerned the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers came through on July 31 to see how the market is accepting Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers  to encourage a healthier diet for low- and moderate-income families.

The Future of North Monroe

The Future of North Monroe

The state of North Monroe has been a point of concern for residents and businesses for a long time now. This poorly lit, five-lane, treeless thoroughfare physically and psychologically divides Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood. There have been pedestrian fatalities. The doors of parked cars have been ripped off by passing traffic. The current environment is downright hostile to anyone who wants to park and walk from shop to shop, and by the same token, it poses an additional challenge to all the businesses that lack dedicated parking. The number of vacant and decrepit buildings is a good indication of that.

Even this past November, when the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council was actively seeking to fund the installation an STA bus shelter so the growing ridership of the #24 didn’t have to stand in the rain, we could only identify one location with sufficient sidewalk in the stretch between Indiana and Grace.

For all these reasons, North Monroe featured heavily in the EGNC’s Neighborhood Action Plan, which had the support of residents, businesses and even the full City Council. And it’s been an ongoing focus of many parties outside of the neighborhood council — including the North Monroe Business Association, the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing District (WQ TIF), several members of the City Council, the STA, and the City of Spokane.

Because the funding necessary to comprehensively overhaul North Monroe was so great, most everyone thought that the timeframe for this kind of project was about seven or ten years away. But that’s changed.

This past summer, engineers from the City applied for two ambitious grants with the goal of improving North Monroe. At the start of the year they got word that those applications were either successful or highly ranked for approval.

Image from WSDoT application: N. Monroe (Indiana to Kiernan) showing sidewalks and curb bump-outs.
Image from WSDoT application: N. Monroe (Indiana to Kiernan) showing sidewalks and curb bump-outs.

The first comes from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDoT). It has awarded the City $3,773,200 through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, which, according to this overview, is to:

Convert to two lanes with a two-way left turn lane and wide curb lanes. Install curb extensions and pedestrian lighting and upgrade sidewalk and traffic signs and signals.

Images that accompanied this grant application are provided above and below. They show the current conditions — narrow parking insets, narrow travel lanes, sidewalks as narrow as 5′ — and sketches of the proposed improvements with wider sidewalks, wider travel lanes, wider parking insets, a wider center turn lane, improved lighting and better natural stormwater mitigation using trees.

The second grant is through the WSDoT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program (this document has more info). The state legislature still needs to formally adopt and fund the list in their 2015 session, but this project ranks high on the shortlist. The remaining $326,800 of the anticipated $4.1 total to revitalize North Monroe would come from this program.

Incidentally, this funding comes in addition to the $300,000 $150,000 that the WQ TIF has allocated as “seed money” to attract large-scale grants for this stretch of North Monroe.

The project scope includes reducing North Monroe from five lanes to three — a “road diet” in urban planning lingo — from just north of Indiana to approximately Kiernan at the top of the North Hill. The existing parking insets will be filled in to make a consistent 12′-wide sidewalk with trees and/or planted swales in some places. Curb extensions will be added at all intersections. The existing outside travel lane will be turned into on-street parking. The traffic signal at Montgomery — the intersection where the Institute for Extended Learning and Caffe Delicio draw considerable pedestrian traffic — will be modified to make it a safer pedestrian crossing. Other marked crosswalks in the corridor will be enhanced with center refuge islands.

Image from WSDoT application: Proposed cross-section.
Image from WSDoT application: Proposed cross-section.

Pedestrian lighting is included to some extent. In line with their recently adopted Moving Forward initiative, the STA also intends to incorporate bus stop and other high-performance transit improvements into the project.

There are many modeling and case studies (see here, for example, or here, or here) that show these improvements will not only make North Monroe safer and more attractive to pedestrians, they will also improve traffic flow while increasing business visibility. That might seem counterintuitive, but the proof can even be seen locally in areas like East Sprague, South Perry and Market Street in Hillyard. More lanes does not necessarily equal better traffic flow and better business.

As for the timeline: This is no longer a seven- or ten-year pipe dream. Planning will likely take place throughout 2016, and the conditions of the funding stipulate that the construction contract must be out to ad by September 2017. This means construction will take place in 2018 — just three years from now. On the scale of construction projects, that’s just around the corner.

In due course the EGNC will be working with these City engineers, the City Council, the STA, the North Monroe Business Association and other organizations to ensure that the redevelopment of North Monroe takes place in a way that aligns with everyone’s priorities.

June Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

June Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

Here’s a brief recap of last week’s monthly Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting.

SPD Ombudsman Tim Burns presented an overview of his annual report (available in full from this page). Some broad stats: 218 complaints against the police department were filed last year; the City Council authorized the hiring of 26 additional officers, 220 body cameras, and a $1.3 million expenditure ($400,000 of which involves a state-of-the-art addition to the training academy). The body cameras can be expected to be put in action by September.

For the SPD crime report, Capt. Tracy Ponto-Douglas read statistics for the area between Garland and the Spokane River, and between Division and the Spokane River to the west; these were compared against this time last year. There was much discussion regarding squatters and transients camping on abandoned properties. She noted that this year a practice has been established to offer relocation services and counseling.

Ben Covino from the Lands Council spoke about the river toxins found in fish and sediments. A map of the Spokane River was provided, highlighting the areas where caught fish should not be eaten: mercury, arsenic and lead have made their way from mines in Idaho to the river in Spokane. The homeless, who often catch and eat river fish, are the most at risk, and are a target group for this education.

Thom Caraway and James Kashork from Project Hope, the organization that has partnered with the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council to operate the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, shared some history about their organization. This year, 38 young people from the West Central and E-G neighborhoods are working each weekday morning until noon for 10 weeks and participating in job training. Project Hope has operated the West Central Marketplace for the past seven years, and has continually been finding ways to improve their scope and efficiency. Technicalities were discussed about how to make the operation of the EGFM fit within the nonprofit mission of Project Hope, and ways to involve the youth. There were no objections to proceeding with this action item.

The annual Summer Potluck will be held at Emerson Park on Wednesday, August 13. The potluck will start at 6pm, and the EGNC meeting at 7pm.

Voting members held a discussion regarding whether to hold the EGNC meeting on July 9 or to skip it as per recent tradition. The motion to skip the July meeting carried.

District 3 City Councilman Steve Salvatori is resigning and moving to Dallas for business purposes. The City Council will appoint a replacement according to protocol.

Eline Helm spoke about the second annual Concert in the Park, which will join forces with this year’s return of Summer Parkways on Friday, July 18. We do need our own insurance, but not a permit. A total of $550 is needed, and we have $370 available — in other words, we need donors!

John Vlahovich spoke about tax increment financing money and Kendall Yards. The committee expects to have approximately $117,000 available for the year; $150,000 was set aside to go towards the Monroe Street improvements as matching money that the City will need to put up in order to use $3 million. The grant will still require the approval of the Transportation Department. One proposal is to make the traffic light on Montgomery and Monroe remain green to north/south traffic, except when a pedestrian pushes the crossing button.

Amy McLean reported on an issue with Avista and the use of smart meters. She mentioned that there have been reports on their health and safety risks.

Laura Schlangen read the June report of the Corbin Senior Activity Center. The WalkAlong and the Golf Scramble events were successful. There is not yet a date for the van delivery. A car theft took place mid-day in the parking lot, and the car was later found abandoned. The center’s biggest fundraiser, the Munch & Mingle Auction, is scheduled for Saturday, September 27. Please attend and donate if you can. The Henderson floor will be redone this month, and there is a new “This & That” discussion group.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly, which, in a nutshell, is the neighborhood’s representative at City Hall. Support for the Safe Streets initiative, spearheaded by Councilwoman Candice Mumm, was passed unanimously by the CA.