Mixes part of current zoning code with draft proposal
By JAMES EIK
Staff Reporter
The city of Airway Heights took its first step in the Joint Land Use Study implementation process by choosing to meld parts of its current zoning regulations with the latest draft of Spokane County's document.
The Airway Heights City Council voted to send a letter to the city of Spokane and Spokane County informing them of their decision. Airway Heights would use a mix of the Air Installation Compatibility Use Zone (AICUZ), which it has operated under since 2008, and parts of the JLUS draft to form a new code structure. City planner Derrick Braaten would work to craft the code before presenting it to the city's planning commission for public comment, then move the code forward to the City Council.
Combining AICUZ and JLUS into one document for Airway Heights comes from some disagreements the city has with the JLUS draft. Specifically, Braaten said prohibiting residential development inside the 65 LdN (day-night sound level) range and extending Military Influence Area Four's restrictions into the new MIA Three/Four boundary were troubling for the city.
Essentially, Airway Heights will adopt JLUS' suggestions for MIA Three and Four as they pertain to the 1995 AICUZ sound contours, which the city currently abides by.
Under the current JLUS draft, the former MIA Four's land use restrictions called for one residential unit per 10 acres, sound mitigation for new development in the 65 LdN zone and to avoid gatherings of 150 people per acre, with the exception of aviation-related operations.
The JLUS Steering Committee combined MIA Three, which runs along the 65 LdN range encompassing land from Medical Lake to the Five Mile neighborhood in Spokane, and MIA Four, which existed along the main flight path that goes through the southern area of Airway Heights. Land use restrictions in MIA Four were placed in MIA Three, which was then renamed MIA Three/Four.
“That consolidation and expansion, it's not based on anything. There isn't any science or anything to back that up,” Braaten said. “The original MIA Four offered more than adequate protection.”
Airway Heights adopted the 1995 version of AICUZ, which has a larger physical footprint than the current 2007 AICUZ codes. Those codes were adjusted after the last Base Realignment and Closure committee round in 2005. The committee's process, Braaten said, sets its decisions on compatibility from Department of Defense standards established for the base.
He said the city would keep tabs on the information coming ahead of base closure rounds, which are estimated to take place in 2014 or 2015.
However, the combination of MIAs Three and Four are unjustified, Braaten said.
“It doesn't offer any additional protection to Fairchild because it is so far out of the mission profile,” he said. “Everything we're doing is designed to maintain compatibility with base operations. This consolidation cannot be scientifically justified, only anecdotally.”
Under the recommendations from the county's latest draft, the city would effectively lose most of its ability to draw large manufacturing companies to its industrial zones.
“We might as well go out of business,” Mayor Patrick Rushing said. “I'm not going to let that happen.”
One homeowner living near the 70 LdN border, Michael Roberts, asked the City Council to not forget about the residents in the area.
“I'm willing to do what I need to do, but I've already had negative outcomes,” he said. Currently, he can only extend the footprint of his home by 500 feet, which he said isn't enough to even build a garage.
Braaten said much of the city is already platted and zoned, meaning the new regulations wouldn't affect current homeowners or businesses.
During his report to the City Council, Rushing said the third meeting of what has been called the “Fairchild Accident Potential Zone Two Density Reduction project” took place.
City Manager Albert Tripp said there was enough funding from interested parties to create a survey that would be sent out to residents in the APZ Two zone. Among the donors were Catholic Charities of Spokane, the City of Airway Heights, Spokane County and Greater Spokane Incorporated. He said a memorandum of understanding would be sent to the City Council shortly, in order to specifically inform council members of how the money is being used.
The City Council also passed a change order for its water reservoir project on the north side of the city. An increase of $19,261.42 and an additional 10 working days were added to the contract.
A bid for the city's water reclamation facility's headworks lift station was approved for $190,183.69. Tripp said the reason for costs being so high on the bid stemmed from increased material costs.
James Eik can be reached at [email protected].
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