After the large crowd at the Nov. 30 public hearing at the Airway Heights Planning Commission, it was almost an empty house again at the Dec. 13 meeting. City Manager Albert Tripp and a representative from Storhaug Engineering were the only ones in attendance.
But even with the light attendance, the meeting was straight forward and the board voted on recommendations to all of the rezones.
The one rezone that caused most of the discussion at the last meeting was ZMA 2017-04. This includes 20-acres of land located in the northwest quadrant of the city, which is comprised of two 10-acre parcels. Storhuag Engineering and the city is proposing to change it from an R-1, single family residential to R-3, multi-family residential. This is to accommodate the alternative housing for residents located south of Highway 2 and within the Fairchild Air Force Base APZ (accident potential zone).
After hearing comments from concerned citizens living near the property, the commission was able to talk it through. With everything considered, the board voted 3-1 in favor of the recommendation to the City Council for a final decision. Commissioner Evah Dixon was the lone vote against it.
Another rezone was to change 7.8 acres from residential manufactured to general commercial. This property is located west of Aspen Grove Park and east of Craig Road. The property is intended for the development of a church and is bound by a restricted commercial zone to the north and a multi-family residential to the south.
The commission voted 4-0 in favor to recommend it to the council.
The easiest item was another 4-0 vote in favor that involved rezoning light industrial to open space at the recreation center off Deno Road.
The one other item that caused some public concern was on two properties comprising 49.37 acres proposed to change from general commercial to a multi-family residential. The Kalispel Tribe is requesting it due to it not being tribal trust property. This rezone is near the Airway Heights Corrections Facility and all Planning Commission members were hesitant about the location.
The commission opposed it 4-0 as it was just too much land with not enough of a plan yet.
After the meeting, the Kalispel Tribe asked to pull their request so they could review and refine what the problems were for the commissioners and other citizens. In the future, the city is still open to the rezone but it will have to be looked over again with more detail added.
“We may have to look at other options for the rezone,” Derrick Braaten, Development Services Director said.
The recommendations were forwarded on to the City Council at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Grace Pohl can be reached at [email protected].
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