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Photo contributed by dannydinges via the MetroSpokane pool
Better design gaining traction in Post Falls (Spokesman Review)
Lewiston Streetcar to be restored (Spokesman Review)
To Demo or not to Demo-WSU reconsiders role for historic Jensen-Byrd Building (Spokesman Review)
T.W. Clark Construction to build One Fifty-Three Wall Street Condos (Journal of Business)
It's initiative time in WA State once again. On the docket this year is I-933, coined as the 'property rights initiative." With a name like that it seems innocuous enough. However, opponents are alarmingly concerned about the impacts I-933, backed heavily by out of state interests, will have on our cities, towns, environment, and resource land. It's one of a number of similar initiatives hitting the ballots across many western states next week, and we encourage you as taxpayers to study up.
So, um, what's Plan B?
Transit is a tough sell in Spokane. And STA is the red-headed stepchild as far as many are concerned. Our landuse patterns and love of the convenient single-occupancy commute has placed our residents in the position where the car is really the only option.
Photo by austinspace via the MetroSpokane pool
How Vancouver Does it - Gordon Price's Thoughts - (Spokesman Review)
Considering a Lower U-District - (Spokesman Review)
YWCA to go Rez & Office - (Spokane Journal of Business)
We mentioned Trulia.com the other day as an cool option for house hunters looking to be a little more independent in their house hunting attempts. Another site we also recommend is ZILLOW.COM. Zillow, like Trulia is just a pup - only been around since 2005. It too brings a little more info to those considering making the jump to homeownership, and info is power.
The City Place Condos have finally found their way to the internet...via Adobe Flash apparently. On the cutting edge of cool, any remnent of it's former motor-inn status has been wiped clean. No more bibles in the bedstands here. City Place has three plans and offers everything you need from a petite 486 sqf up to the bloated 765 sqf unit. Their tagline? Style you deserve, room convenience you crave.
The question you should be asking yourself right now is: Do you have what it takes to hang with these people
? As for the music, we enjoyed selection #1.
City Different: Achieving Smart Growth in the U-District
If you have the chance we'd suggest you make it over to the Riverpoint Campus this Wednesday afternoon for the first U-District Community Forum. The City of Spokane has lined up a great list of speakers to share and discuss how other cities (like Vancouver, BC) are combining smart growth and higher education districts to create sustainable, vibrant, and innovative neighborhoods. Together these two approaches represent an economic development opportunity like no other in the Inland Northwest.
Continue reading "U-District Community Forum: Achieving Smart Growth in the U-District" »
Is the sun setting on the skywalk era? An issue raised recently by David Blaine in our MetroSpokane photo pool he observes:
"One thing that has happened since Expo 74 is the movement of business from the street up to the skywalk level and back down to the street. The skywalks are not going anywhere, but the question is what role will they play in the new downtown?"
Much like the old graineries we profiled earlier in the year, Spokane's rich collection of religious buildings often blend into the background and go unnoticed. The thousands of commuters on major arterials like Maple or Monroe St. daily cruise by architectural gems like Plymouth Congregational Church and St. Paul's Methodist Church without even a second thought.
Let's face it, the next ten years or so is going to bring quite a bit of infill to Spokane. Anyone parking a car downtown knows about the availability of infill lots. The reality is, we've only begun to scratch the surface so to speak. There's also a significant amount of opportunity for infill development
in many of our neighborhoods throughout the city, and with that often
times comes some friction.
If you ever find yourself admiring a piece of public art downtown, there's a good chance it's a piece done by local artists Harold Balazs or Ken Spiering. These guys' works grace buildings, Riverfront Park, they float, spout water, are set in concrete, carved into brick, or colorful baked-enamel. But there's also a huge amount of other work by lesser known artists placed here and there around the core. It's worth your time to take a closer look at the public & private art that is part of the city's permanent collection. Once you start looking you'll see it's everywhere. We have to think that downtown is better off because of it.
We're not sure when it came online, but the much talked about real estate listing service Trulia has finally hit Spokane...and we're lovin' it kids. Combine a clean and intuitive interface a'la Googlemaps, multiple ways to search and sort properties, and you've got yerself a certified time-killer at the office.
Continue reading "Real Estate Sweetness: Trulia Now Covers Spokane" »
Increasingly downtown is being seen as a canvas for some unique and subtle expression of sorts. This weekend it was oil barrels. Yes, oil barrels. We were thrilled to see that someone dropped off a collection of six of these at various spots around the Monroe and Main intersection. We first thought they were new decorated trash cans. On closer look the large 50-gallon oil drums, each painstakingly decorated, were placed as a 3-D street art display (and clearly making a comment about oil dependency).
Continue reading "Guerrilla Street Art: Ornate Oil Barrels..." »
It's going to be a busy Spring in Spokane. Insert collective sigh here...
Photo by tsack via the MetroSpokane pool
A slick new site is being released today by EWU's Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis that will allow visitors to view a variety of economic indicators relating to Spokane. It's called the Community Indicators Initiative and has been in the works for over two years. The website will provide users a view of the Spokane region and how it compares to other jurisdictions. An angle like this is rarely seen in a convenient one-stop location.
We know you're busy folk. We also know you're a huge fan of the Spokane River and all the goodness it provides us throughout the year. This weekend is your chance to give back a little to the River and the community. The 2006 Spokane River Cleanup will occur this Saturday, October 7th from 9am - 3pm.
