Slowly but surely, Cheney's Terra Vista development moving forward

After seven years of roadblocks, local developer's plans to blend nature, recreation and housing is finally beginning to take shape

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

Steve Emtman has big plans for the piece of land he dubbed “Terra Vista.”

Now, he says, some of those plans are finally becoming a reality. Emtman started planning the project in 2002 after purchasing the land east of First Street in Cheney.

He said changes within the city administration, as well as varying trends in the housing market and a temporary water moratorium in the city have all presented roadblocks.

“With all the shifting in the city it's been very tough for me because my vision really hasn't adjusted much and they keep on saying, ‘Oh you're changing it again.' Obviously the market changes and you have to work with the market,” he said. “There's no one that's doing this year what they were doing last year in the development world.”

Emtman's development is centered on a wetland that he plans to circle with two miles of trails. The natural focus ties in with a conservation priority.

“One of our big things is water conservation. We'll use very little water for our lots,” he said.

Three attached single-family homes are almost completed and face the wetland. Each unit has a small yard complete with plants and perfectly manicured green grass. On closer inspection, the grass is artificial.

“We could have put in an irrigation line for each of these, and been using a ton of water to irrigate all of these,” Emtman said. “The whole thing is, when you're sitting on over 13, 14 acres of park in front of you, there's not a need for this huge backyard that you have to water and maintain.”

Emtman built The Grove apartment complex, which he recently sold to a national developer. But he said more new apartments would not serve the future of the city.

He pointed to the frame of a 12-unit complex on Alki Street that he said will be marketed to independent seniors and EWU faculty and staff.

“These two parcels here that we're building, we could build over 500 apartments in a second. It's zoned for it, we don't have to go through City Council, we don't have to go through anything,” he said. “We could build apartments all day long, but as we know there's too many apartments in this town right now. So my goal is to get people living in what's an attached unit as opposed to renting.”

Though Emtman said he would offer a leasing option on the properties, he was confident that Cheney would attract new residents in the future.

Emtman, who grew up in Cheney, said he wants to eventually connect the Columbia Plateau Trail with Turnbull Wildlife refuge through Terra Vista. He said these natural areas should be promoted as a feature of the community.

“This is something that's important to me, that I feel this city needs. It's been a vision for probably several years now,” he said.

There are still several years of work to go before reaching that goal, however. Emtman said he would market the new construction over the next year, and continue to work to make that vision a reality.

Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].