One project the Airway Heights’ Planning Department will focus on completing in 2017 is its comprehensive plan update, which is due in June.
For the plan update, Derrick Braaten, Development Services Director, said staff will work on updating the chapters that require the most time and work, the two being housing and land use.
The housing chapter analyzes the current developments and determines the future residential needs in the city. Since the plan’s 2006 update, Braaten said the city’s population has grown to 8,435 — and that includes the over 2,000 individuals at the correctional facility. The city limits also grew in 2012 after it annexed a one square mile area east of Hayford Road to Deer Heights Road and Sixth Avenue to the north of McFarlane Road.
“We’re doing some pretty significant updates to that chapter,” Braaten said.
The other chapter outlines how the city will manage and coordinate land use within the city, joint planning and urban growth areas. The city is working with consultants from Studio Cascade on the land use update. Staff and consultants have conducted several workshops with residents, staff, business owners, the Planning Commission and City Council to get their input on land use elements they would like to see in the city.
Some groups felt the central portion of the city has a small town/community feeling, while the area along Hayford Road and Highway 2 falls into suburban lifestyle while the western portion of the city will be a destination center after construction of the Spokane Tribe Economic Project is completed. Areas, such as north of Highway 2 near Northern Quest Resort and Casino, were also considered destination centers.
The recreation center and the Spokane Tribe’s casino will factor into the land use update. Braaten said the city will look into developing a sub-area plan for the industrial sites and may implement more multi-family developments.
“Everything will feed off the land use update,” Braaten said. “We are also making sure we are doing what the community wants to see and implementing that into the (U.S. Highway 2) corridor.”
Chapters, such as parks and recreation, utilities and transportation will be implemented from plans from other departments. The Parks and Recreation Department updated its master plan in November 2015. Public Works is expected to update the utilities and transportation plans in 2017. Other chapters that require minor modifications and less time to update — such as community profile and environmental goals — will be completed in the spring.
As each chapter of the plan is developed, Braaten will bring drafts to the Planning Commission for their feedback and approval. There will also be public hearings where residents can give feedback on those chapters.
“The public is more than welcome to attend those workshops,” Braaten said. “For those chapters, the planning commission could be doing 2-3 chapters at a time (in one meeting).”
The commission will forward a resolution to City Council recommending they approve the chapter. Braaten added that the commission will bring the final updated plan to council for their approval.
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
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