MetroSpokane

Consider what 2% could do for Spokane...

An interesting article appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard last fall.  The author, Bruce Katz-Director of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, takes a look at a key strategy of the New York Govenor:  Strive to attract at least 2 percent of each metropolitan area's population to live downtown.  Some times simple is best.  Such a strategy would have a dramatic effect on revitalizing many of Upstate New York's lagging metropolitan areas.

Cathedral Point Condos: St. John's to be relocated...

The latest home-apartment-condo conversion we've heard of will be taking place literally on the tip of the south hill.  Ladies and gentelmen, behold the Cathedral Point (no 'e') Condos.  This project will boast four shell units and should vaguely resemble the original building once the carnage construction is complete.  From the renderings, it appears St. John's Cathedral will be moved from its present location to the east, to a better spot tucked behind the condos.  Something about improving the view. 

Friday Linkfest

Photo contributed by Spokane Queen via the MetroSpokane pool

Ugly Duck Condos...seriously (Journal of Business)
Smart Growth 3-Day Workshop wraps up (The Inlander)
We knew it-Spokane a great place for kids (SR)

Deep Thoughts - Are Spokane's activity Centers too spread out?

Despite being over 57 square miles in area (San Francisco-47 square miles), Spokane isn't a very large city (pop. 200,000+/-).  This makes for a challenging situation when trying to create places that are vibrant and dynamic.  Put another way, few places here have that natural density that enables the kinds of activity you might see on a Capitol Hill or Queen Anne commercial district.  These places have densities high enough to allow a good amount of interaction between people.  Add in some quality urban design and suddenly your neighborhood is on its way.

Davenport Tower - Concrete is our friend

Well the Davenport Tower is nearly complete, so we hoofed it down to 1st and Post to take a look. The DT is an easy target - It's big, boxy, and would likely give Kirtland Cutter a stroke if he saw it.  According to an article in Spokane7, "The investment was made on the inside."  We couldn't agree more. 

Lincoln Tower...hunh?

Searching around the web the other day, we found this image for a project called the Lincoln Tower.  We never heard of it, but we like it.  It looks to be 22+ stories and an overall striking design, borrowing some influence from our fav Lincoln Building to the east.

Unbundling the costs of parking

In the spirit of last week's post about the costs of condos in downtown Spokane, we decided to look even deeper into how the price of a unit is allocated across the living space and the parking space.  The rule for downtown condo development currently is that the developer will provide you with at least one parking space.

Few if any people looking into living downtown think twice about what that parking spot is really costing them because it is conveniently bundled into the overall price.  We decided to unbundle the cost of parking for a few units currently for sale & rent downtown and calculate what people are being charged for the convenience of secured-covered parking.

On the Market: Hoyt's Smokestack + 4 acres

Before the Waste to Energy Plant on the West Plains there was the Hoyt's Smokestack greeting visitors to Spokane.  Nowdays, the Hoyt smokestack in the Garden Springs area still is the first major landmark you see as you approach downtown Spokane.

Downtown's most affordable condos...

The posting on the Iron Bridge Condos last week, gathered a couple comments from our readers alarmed at the prices for the shell units.  We don't have any data, but the perception of most people is that of all the downtown residential development, most of it has been biased towards the high end.  So, we hit the MLS to find the lowest priced 'completed' condo on the market in the central business district (CBD).

Safeway out...Urban Decay in...

Well that didn't take long.  A little over two months since it shuttered its doors and the abandoned Safeway building on 3rd and Maple is on the fast track to blight.  Some might say it's already arrived.  The store was never the pride and joy of the organization, and as far back as we can remember it had always been a little rough around the edges.