By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
An unexpected sudden interest in a long-planned rezone proposed for an undeveloped parcel near Fox Hollow in Medical Lake forced Planning Commission members to postpone a public hearing last Thursday for at least a month when a nearly 200 citizen turnout overflowed City Hall's upstairs council chambers, its adjoining hallways and multipurpose room.
Due to city fire safety code policy, the meeting couldn't commence as usual as the room had reached well over its maximum capacity by citizens, most coming from the Fox Hollow area, who reportedly came with intentions to contest the proposed rezone.
“Ninety-nine percent of the people here are against that zone change from happening,” one Fox Hollow resident said during the meeting.
The public hearing scheduled to take place that night was to propose zone changes from mixed use to multi-family housing on empty parcels located north of SR-902 along Stanley Road, currently owned by Fox Hollow developer Jeff Amistoso, that non-profit affordable housing organization Spokane Housing Ventures (SHV) is looking to purchase and develop almost three acres into a 42-unit apartment building.
Resident Bob Gross said a project of this kind could damage existing property values to existing homes in the development where residents want to maintain their current quality of life.
“It's our investment, and anything that would diminish that…I'm not for it, and I don't think anyone else does. Pretty soon the value of everything goes down,” Gross said.
Since state law requires specific meetings be held at specific times, a meeting reschedule requires cities to publicize the change through issuance of a statutory notice, with Amistoso's permission, to allow the meeting to be held at a larger venue that would allow for all citizen testimonies.The Planning Commission unanimously voted yes to these conditions.
SHV development specialist David Roberts said that for the last year, his company has pursued purchase and development of an affordable housing project for residents of Medical Lake, not outsiders.
There is a pent up demand for affordable safe housing in the area as indicated by a 2007 market study by SHV, indicating a large percentage of the population is at 60-80 percent of the area median income level based on industry benchmarks that indicate the average homeowner should pay no more than 30 percent of annual income on housing expenses.
SHV is just scratching the surface of that need.
“The study shows people in Medical Lake are either spending disproportionate amounts on housing, or they're living in substandard housing,” Roberts said. Market studies are one of several required documentation needed for the organization to obtain project funding for design, construction and ongoing maintenance through a variety of public funding sources to keep housing rates at affordable levels for tenants.
Contrary to circulating rumors, he added, SHV is an autonomous, independently governed organization—not a subsidiary of the state Department of Corrections.
Thursday's turnout, unfortunately, was a case of suspicions run amok over false information and rumors Roberts described as “ludicrous.”
“I think people came [to the meeting] thinking we're slum lords looking to develop a place that houses sex offenders…that's simply not the case,” he said.
Helen Stevenson, SHV manager of acquisitions and development, said the housing, tentatively named Stanley Meadows, is a “family project with some units available for single elderly residents.”
“Our selection policies are very clear in that felony convictions for crimes against persons or property as well as any drug related conviction are reasons to deny tenancy,” Stevenson said. “We do not now, nor have we in the past housed sex offenders in projects that target families and I don't believe we have any sex offenders in any of our units.”
A rescheduled date for the hearing will likely be held during the final week of September with two commission members being unavailable; one will be required for a quorum.
City planner Glenn Scholten said it will take 14 days to publish PUBLIC NOTICE of meeting changes, plus notices will be mailed to addresses within 300 feet of the new meeting place.
SHV owns and operates 13 affordable housing properties between Spokane and Lincoln County, including one in Medical Lake. More information can be found online at http://www.spokanehousingventures.org/projects.htm.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected].
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