Following our earlier post on the movement towards edible estates, we happened by this front yard over in the West Central neighborhood. This has to be the premier example in Spokane of what can be done in an area many would consider a small unusable space. They've made use of nearly ever square foot and have even spilled over into the planting strip. Fruit trees abound, strawberry plants, and the soil is rich. One downside for those in newer developments is that the strict covenants buyers often enter into will not allow such a use. Too bad really. Just another reason to luv older Spokane nabes.
[If you've a burning question about any of the topics we cover then send it in to metrospokan@gmail.com. If you're lucky it may experience the therapeutic advice of our readers]
An intrepid MetroSpokane reader needs some space...art workspace that is. The Davenport Arts District jumped out at us as a good spot, but the working artist studios down there have been slim-to-none what with the revitalization and all. Our reader submits the following:
"Can you point me in a direction: we will be returning to Spokane and are looking for an artist loft-ish workspace
downtown for about a year. Where would you go to look for such a thing? I was kind of
hoping that one of the projects might be on hold and the
owner might rent out something partially finished while waiting for
happier times....
Also, I want to make it clear that I am only looking for a workspace,
not a live/work. My husband wants to
do some painting, so we're really looking for a crummy garage or
something. But it needs to be on the bus, as he doesn't drive."
Readers...have at it, and impart your wisdom in the comments section below.
If you're fortunate enough to have a grass strip on the other side of the sidewalk in your neighborhood (assuming you have a sidewalk), consider it excess room for growing veggies. We're not certain, but that's what this looks like is being done in front of this home in an older neighborhood here in town. It's a very well crafted and sturdy raised bed with some chicken-wire over the top.
The idea of turning boring sod over into productive use for food is nothing new. "From The Back Kitchen" posted on rural sprawl a few weeks back. It's a timely topic given the rapid in food prices we're experiencing. A little extra food security, self-sufficiency, and reducing the cost of your monthly food bill are all good things. We'll be watching this little experiment over the summer to see how it progresses.
As a part of The Vulcan Project, earlier this month Purdue released a high resolution map charting American per-capita carbon dioxide emissions. The map calculates the per-capita figure by identifying the CO2 produced in 100 Kilometer regions and then dividing that by population figures from the 2000 census (FYI-Spokane is 151 sq kilometers, or nearly 59 square miles in area). For the modeling they looked at emissions from a variety of sources including:
It's been a rough few months for BlueRay Technologies. The latest wrinkle in the ongoing BlueRay soap-opera shows that the top two floors of the company's building at 1111 W. 1st Ave are up for sale. No less than a reasonable $1.5 million gets you close to some of that sweet Blu-Ray action at The Commercial Building. The turn-of-the-century brick eye-candy is a nice looking piece of work and in a great location given the level of reinvestment in the surrounding area (Railside Center, the Fox, the Otis/Norman/Madison) Go on, what are you waiting for?
If you find yourself wanting to support the local economy and to keep those dollars circulating within our borders just a little bit longer you might try Etsy.com. Basically Etsy.com is a clearinghouse for handmade goods people can create and put up for sale.
We found that Etsy's Shop Local search option a great way to see what people around here were making. Spokane has over 95 individuals with their own storefronts up on Etsy.com and the variety of products being sold was pretty cool. We even found our fave Spokaloo T-shirts had items listed for sale as well. So what are you waiting for? Support your local designers.
Abandoned for decades but not forgotten, it looks like a rehabilitation plan for the Iron Bridge may have some legs. On numerous levels this project is a no-brainer: It expands the network of the Centennial Trail, improves connectivity
for bikes and pedestrians through East Central-Logan-University
District, brings attention to a sorely neglected stretch of the river,
etc.
We read with great earnest your article on the housing and economic conditions in the Spokane area. We've always been big fans of your cute little graphics/charts on your front page, however we think your in depth analysis should really stop there. We're not quite sure what elite group of writers you have working on this drivel, but the comparison of the most expensive house for sale and a median-priced house was classic. As one commenter put it, "A 1949 house with bars on the windows for $177,000. Hold me back."
Chances are you've never heard of Vancity. They're a highly progressive credit union in Canada. In fact they're the largest credit union in Canada, and they run their business with an eye on the triple-bottom line: Financial, Social, and Environmental performance.
We're curious: Where are you at with this whole gas price thing? Low prices for Regular gas are hovering around $3.45 while Premium is upwards of $3.89. So the question is, have prices hit a point where it's changing your behavior or approach towards driving in any way? Seeking alternatives? Driving less? Carpooling? Transit? Cutting back elsewhere, but driving the same? If not, what level do prices have to reach to begin to affect your current routine? Complete the poll and leave your comments below.
Twenty years have passed Spokane's Master Bicycle Plan was last updated, and to celebrate it's getting a fresh look and an update. Over the next couple of weeks there will be a few meetings for you to provide your input and discuss issues. If you can't quite make the meeting you're still able to provide comments through Spokane's 2008 Online Bike Plan Survey.
Sometimes being 'sustainable' means getting others to buy into your vision. More often than not incorporating sustainable practices into your business plan isn't the first thought to come to your mind especially if your a small business. Realizing this SLIP (Sustainable Local Investments Project) is offering free one-day training to lenders and other community development professionals.
The idea is to show how lenders viewing projects and proposals with a view towards sustainability can help smaller businesses prosper while developing our region's long-term livability.
We stopped off at the celebration for the fund raising milestone set by for the Mobius Science Center. On his way to speak at Boise State University's Distinguished Lecture Series, William McDonough dropped by the celebration to say a few words about our center. Mostly he delivered on his message of sustainability and the current state of the environment and world economy; an abridged version of a presentation he gave at TED some time back. We could go on, but for a better understanding of his message (you'll better understand the correlation to the Mobius Science Center) watch the edited and abridged version of his TED presentation on YouTube above. It's worth it.
BROWNE'S ADDITION - It's been some time since we checked in on the Browne's Addition hole. Located next to Cabin Coffee and The Elk, the empty foundation sat idle and open for a number of years and was finally sealed up last year. Briefly an MLS listing popped up two years ago asking $1.6 million for a three story mixed use development, but that went away after a few months and little has been heard.
Fast forward to today and word is that the project is back on and will be called the Loveland Building. It'll be appropriately mixed-use likely sporting retail on the ground floor with residential up. The rendering above is from the previous MLS listing oh-so-long-ago. If true, regardless of how it looks it promises to add some commercial zest and desirable infill to the Browne's Addition nabe.
Breaking news people: The Spokesman Review is reporting that the Burgans' Block, that amazing collection of early 20th century warehouse buildings between Ruby and Division on Desmet has sold to a 'mystery buyer'. Given the dramatic changes of the area brought on by Gonzaga's investment of millions in residential development nearby this was bound to happen. Add to it their recent purchase and rehab of the Fuller Building across Ruby and this place is on it's way. Next up: Ye Old CompUSA, and the mill buildings. Dibs on the huge F-U-R-N-I-T-U-R-E sign.
The Spokane River Forum serves as a clearinghouse and information exchange for all things Spokane River.
Even more impressive is the event they're staging this Summer to raise awareness of the role the Spokane river plays in our lives: A 120 mile journey from Lake Coeur d'Alene to the Upper Columbia River over two, three-day periods. The first is June 13th - 15th and the second is June 20th - 23rd. Registration closes on May 2nd for this event and we have a sense it'll fill up rapidly. Oh, and while you're at it feel free to join the organization.
[Image courtesy of the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby] Years back Spokane had a pretty cool event that for whatever reason slipped away. For years, the soap box derby used to occur on the Post Street hill just below the Garland District. A recent article in the Spokesman highlighted that the event was first held on the hill with the opening of the Benewah Dairy Milk Bottle in the Garland District in 1935.
If you're still interested in submitting a proposal for your vision of the Pine Street Property on the Riverpoint Campus you better get a move on. The RFQ deadline is this Thursday, April 17th at 2PM. Remember, we want mixed use and urban. Keep the office parks away. If you don't plan on submitting but are just curious about the details of the RFQ then by all means download the pdf below.
Better than a made-for-TV movie the drama surrounding Spokane Raceway Park continues to build. It's unclear what the fallout will be now that the Spokesman Review revealed the private investor who was hopelessly bidding for Spokane Raceway Park against the County, is really kind of ticked off about the whole thing. And the word is he had plans for NASCAR.
We spotted this sleek new garbage can downtown the other day and wondered if this is a little preview of other enhancements downtown. It's an improvement over the 34 year old Expo '74 cans in capacity and they're probably a whole lot lighter. Still, it's frustrating to not see any kind of recycling option for newspaper, plastic, or cans. We can do better. Other cities do.
In order to help you get acquainted with your new raceway we've scoured YouTube for some of the best racing footage from the park. The first vid is backed by Montrose....aahhhhhwwwsome! We say bring back the Spokane Grand Prix!
Congratulations Spokane County. You are now the highest bidders on one raceway track plus 3 parcels for the tune of roughly $4.3 million including a 10% buyers premium. In a process that lasted 2 1/2 hours and was reminiscent of the 29th round of a Fantasy Baseball League draft Spokane County bid for parcels 1, 5, 10, & 11 totalling 314.7 acres of nitro-fueled property. See red $$$ above. As they say, "You pay for the whole seat, BUT YOU'LL ONLY NEED THE EDGE!!!"
[...and Mootsy's Pizza begat The Dough Shack, and The Dough Shack begat The Monterey Cafe...]
Admittedly we were bummed with the passing of Mootsy's Pizza awhile back. With The Dough Shack, we blinked and didn't even have a chance to sample. But now with the storefront plastered in newsprint and signs, the arrival of a pizza joint downtown is imminent.
Enter The Monterey Cafe whose first and foremost focus will be on wholewheat pizza followed by wraps and salads. The Monterey plans on being open for the lunchtime and dinner crowd, but the kicker will be the late night offerings, staying open until 3AM-4AM providing a nice compliment to the Satellite. Outdoor seating will be encouraged and plans are for a spiffy new bike rack for two-wheeled customers. If all goes well, expect to see them opening the new garage door May 1st.
The world of online realestate continues to get better and better. Via the Seattle PI this morning, the latest enhancement comes from Trulia. They've officially integrated Google Streetview with their real estate listings in those cities that Google currently has photographed. In total that's 40 metros where streetview is available.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) posted this aerial montage on YouTube Monday. It's a great flyby of our area and unlike Google Earth, it has a lots of texture, depth, and shows off that great fall weather we often get here. Since January, when they first released it, they've lost the U2 'Elevation' song backing it and replaced it with something a little more, um, hairband-ish. It's a quick clip lasting only 90 seconds, but really shows off the region well. Give it a spin, but hold onto your desk or something.
DOWNTOWN - It's a two-fer-Tuesday this week and we have to wonder what's the deal with all the commercial properties on the market in downtown Spokane? Seriously.
Hutton Building - First there was the Habitat Building, then we heard The Montvale was up for grabs, and now the Hutton? Sweet mother it's a clearance sale. All seven-stories and 77,000 sqf can be yours for just shy of $4.95 million.
319 Riverside - Dania's always been the closest we'll ever get to having an IKEA downtown...a tall, pale, characterless IKEA. However, the descriptive title on the flyer for 319 Riverside leaves us a bit puzzled and wondering if we're all looking at the same building. $3.2 million.
West Pacific Ave is gradually developing into a funky and unique collection of buildings and businesses. So we were pleasantly surprised to hear from a tipster that one of our all time favorite warehouses (that was still being used as a warehouse) down there was finally on the market.
The longtime Sylvan Warehouse at 116 W. Pacific is a gem, and it has the three critical amenities that make any warehouse ripe for a conversion to some other use:
Filled your gas tank up recently? If you're now beginning to calculate your commute as cost-per-trip instead of miles-per-gallon we have the event for you. National bike-to-work-week will be held from May 12 - 16 this year, and in Spokane the event promises to be bigger than ever. The week kicks off with a BTW breakfast from 7am-9am in Riverfront Park and wraps up with a party at the Steam Plant with plenty-o-schwag for registered participants (grand prize is a commuter bike from REI).
Speaking of Bike-to-work-week registration, it's now open and even though all activities associated with BTW Spokane are free it's important to register to better understand participation. So give it a try. Your pocketbook might thank you.
It seems that with each passing week there's another shop opening its doors over on 2nd Ave. The latest is A Town and Country Floral. Occupying a space that for years played host to some odd architectural pillars and empty fireplace mantels, their new space is colorful, roomy, and strategically located directly across from a bridal shop. Co-owners Sabrina Bosch and Deanna Bunch opened their doors on March 1st of this year after a few years at a location on North Division.
U-HAUL released it's top growth cities data this week, and Spokane is again in the top 25. Number 14 to be exact with a 2.72% increase in families renting a U-HAUL and schlepping it to our little slice of heaven. We last made the list in 2005 coming in at #10 with 5.5% growth. Other Northwest/Rocky Mountain Cities close to us on the list were Boise at 3.68% and Eugene at .57%. U-HAUL looks at cities having more than 5,000 families moving to them and then calculates the percentage of inbound moves vs. outbound moves for each area.
So for fun we checked some online rates for renting a standard 17' truck (2-3 bedrooms). To Spokane:
Well the 2008 NCAA Women's Regional Basketball Tournament just wrapped up last week in Spokane. This was a huge deal not only for the exposure, but also for the revenue generated (Idle facilities are not a good thing). It was a good event and week overall...and then a bothered reader forwarded a photo taken from his cell phone. It looks like Charley's on Monore and Broadway [GMAP] was playing welcome wagon with the nice sign above to greet fans.
Following our earlier post on the movement towards edible estates, we happened by this front yard over in the West Central neighborhood. This has to be the premier example in Spokane of what can be done in an area many would consider a small unusable space. They've made use of nearly ever square foot and have even spilled over into the planting strip. Fruit trees abound, strawberry plants, and the soil is rich. One downside for those in newer developments is that the strict covenants buyers often enter into will not allow such a use. Too bad really. Just another reason to luv older Spokane nabes.
