MetroSpokane

U-District Community Forum II: Envisioning Smart Growth in the U-District

Envisioning Smart Growth in the U-District
For those who missed the first community forum last month, well, you missed out.  Gordon Price gave an excellent presentation and talk about urban universities and how Vancouver is leveraging them to create sustainable, innovative, and exciting neighborhoods throughout their city. 

For Sale: Lincoln Plaza redux

A few weeks back we posted about Walt Worthy doing the ultimate commercial flip with the Met Mortgage, nay, Wells Fargo building.  Gleaning the commercial listings we discover that the Lincoln Plaza and the adjoing Grant Building have hit the market just in time for the holidays.  A new roofline, a revamp of the public plaza, upgrades on the interior, and "wah-lah" she's ready for prime-time.  $18 million gets you dibs on this sweet 200,000+ square feet of commercial space, plus two-levels of underground parking for all your friends.  Is it us or is downtown beginning to resemble a Monopoly game?

Then & Now: Union Station

Be sure and GET FLASH...

The years just prior to Expo '74 had to be thrilling times for downtown leaders.  Urban renewal was reaching the end of its life, but was about to play out in Spokane in a big way.  Spokane's big event was just around the corner and before ground could be broken and the river reclaimed there was much work to do.  In fact, literally tons of material from elevated rail lines that for years had smothered the future park needed to be torn down.  Unfortunately, with them came down one of Spokane's most remarkable structures - Union Station.

City Comforts

You might say it's the little things that make life interesting.  The same holds true for making cities interesting and easy places to live.  Consider the dog dish.  We took this picture last summer in DC outside a bar.  The place was nothing special; just another pub embedded in an neighborhood business district.

Thursday Linkfest

Photo by spokanitis via the MetroSpokane pool

Cheney: Development activity ticks up a notch (Journal of Business)

SIA terminal now 50% brighter (Spokesman Review)

"All hell breaks loose in Spangle, WA" (Journal of Business)

Playfair could be a shot in the arm for East Central (Journal of Business)

On the Market: Town Centre Motel

There was a time in the 1960s when the motor court was all the rage in downtown Spokane.  Including the self-proclaimed center of the condo universe (a.k.a. City Place) we know of seven still standing from this grand architectural era...including this gem we found on the MLS.

YWCA Site says 'Hello' to Condos

A scant twelve years ago talk of the Lincoln Street Bridge was hot, and we as a city were poised to spend $80-$90 million to get it built.  For many, the four-lane, one-way bridge over the falls in unison with the River Park Square was a critical element in saving downtown and the redevelopment of the mall.  The downside was that it would have created a west-side version of the Division-Ruby couplet.  Fortunately for us the bridge was defeated, the Riverpark Square is a success, and new residential development is sprouting up on the north bank like crazy.

Girls' Day Out this Saturday

For the second straight year Girls' Day Out will be in full force this Saturday.  Literally across the city, shops of all kinds (70 overall) in our neighborhood business centers will be opening their doors for the ladies.  Monroe, Hillyard, Perry, East Sprague and Garland are the places to be.

Lincoln Plaza gets LIT!

The work on the Lincoln Plaza continues.  To anyone mulling around downtown in the evenings take a look up and you'll see the latest enhancement to Spokane's skyline - the top o' the Linconln Plaza has finally been illuminated.  It's a subtle but fantastic addition to the 1960s building.  As we wait for future infill like The Vox and the One Fifty-Three Wall condominiums to occur, this should tide us over for awhile.  Not the best work we've done, but we snapped a few shots...enjoy!