Ahhh...Grand Avenue, one of Spokane's finest streets. Driving up past St. John's Cathedral, slipping under the tree-covered canopy along Manito Park, the fine old homes, quaint small businesses nestled into the fabric of the neighborhood...and then you hit 29th and Grand. WTF? Friends, it looks like Walgreens has brought their "D" plans to the South Hill. Not that 29th and Grand was any
great bastion of pedestrian
friendliness, but this was a prime opportunity to change that and it went
uncontested. A well-sited building can be a wonderful thing.
On a recent visit to Seattle's U-District we saw one of the more neighborhood sensitive designs Walgreens provides neighborhoods (photos below) when neighborhoods demand it. How they decide between an 'A'-level plan and our 'D'-level plan likely has a lot to do with pushback from the community.
Instead of providing a building that enhances the neighborhoood and pedestrian orientation the Manito District Center got a standard mobile generic pharmacopoeia in the center of a sea of asphalt. 29th and Grand, Sprague and Pines, Division and Lincoln Rd. What's the difference? Absolutely nothing according to Walgreens.
This type of development truly disgusts me. How long is it going to take for Spokane to have development standards that force businesses to be pedestrian friendly. Do we really have to wait until 29th becomes a mini division street?
Posted by: Leio | October 01, 2007 at 10:41 AM
This just reinforces my conviction that Spokane should consider rethinking its motto, "Near nature. Near perfect." Perhaps a more accurate tag line would be, "We would be great - if we actually cared."
Posted by: Spencer Grainger | October 01, 2007 at 11:08 AM
Two things have to happen before this can get better. (1) The Mayor and the City Council MUST modify the Design Review requirement for new construction in the City to allow for a binding judgment, rather than a recommendation. (2) The City must formulate and adopt new design guidelines that are actually based on the concepts and goals of the Comprehensive Plan.
More disturbing than the building design, though, is the graffiti that not only graces the plywood on the temporary construction entrance of the building, but also the concrete planters in the median of 29th Street.
Posted by: InlandNWblog | October 01, 2007 at 12:28 PM
Hey, what happened to the RSS feed? It used to have full content, but now it's just a clipping. Bring back Full Content RSS!!!
Posted by: gillsans | October 01, 2007 at 05:02 PM
I like graffiti.
Posted by: MK | October 01, 2007 at 05:42 PM