MetroSpokane

WSU-Spokane Pine Street Development RFQ: See for yourself...

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.

• WSU Spokane - Pine Street Development  RFQ (1557.8K) [pdf]
• Touching Base:  Nursing Building-Bricks and Glass do mix [MetroSpokane]

Ramp-o-licious Downtown - Part 3

The third over-the-top intersection is our favorite if only because it includes a heli-port.  Yes, a heli-port.  We're not sure why residents would need to land a helicopter near the intersection of Division and North River Drive, but there it is.  And who would be flying in to the North Bank of downtown anyways?  Looking at these images (from 46 years ago), one thing is for certain, and that's how the unobstructed movement of the personal auto was primary.  Any sense of urbanity and the human scale has been completely stripped away.

Ramp-o-licious Downtown - Part 2

For our second installment of "Thank God they never implemented that", we bring you the West Central Cloverleaf.  Bringing a little bit of Los Angeles love to West Cent, they were clearly forecasting that a lot of traffic would be heading east and west by 1980.  As for the shape, it was quite possibly a premonition of things to come...

Next up:  "Why, yes that is a heli-pad"

Ramp-o-licious Downtown- Part 1

A few weeks back we posted about the 1961 Ebasco Plan and how its twin-loops solution for traffic pretty much screwed up downtown.  But for all that negative impact there's so much more in the plan that was never implemented.  Most obvious are the grandiose on-and-off ramps that were designed to create an 'outer ring' of limited access roads drivers could use to bypass downtown and (supposedly) congestion.

Quality public space leads to revitalization

[Photo by Rachel Schell via the MetroSpokane photo pool]

From the MetroSpokane tipline a reader writes:

"See the brief post here included as an addition to an article our own Mike Edwards is having published in next month’s issue of Parks & Recreation Magazine. (The full article will cover both Pittsburgh and Spokane, of course)." 

                    [Mike Edwards was the previous president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership and is now the President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.]

Check out the post.  It's a quick Q&A on the positive impact that high quality public spaces (specifically sites for parks and recreation) can have on a local economy.  We're looking forward to getting our hands on the full length article. 

While our region is blessed with a bounty of natural assets and recreation opportunities, it's often those just around the block from your house that can benefit you and your neighborhood the most.  Think Joe Albi, city pools, skateparks, bmx parks, public gardens, etc.  You're throwing down $43 million in tax dollars over the next few years on pools and play fields among other things.  Now is the time to give your opinion.

• March/April Neighborhood Meetings regarding pools [www.spokanepoolsandplay.com]
• Aquatic Facility Master Planning - July 2007 [pdf]
• Perceptions Among Spokane Residents about Aquatic Facility Options - [Graphic Summary-pdf]

The curse of the 'twin-loops'...

Whether visitor or longtime resident, anyone who has driven in and around downtown has had to deal with the annoyance of the one-way streets.  The one-way streets you enjoy today are actually a result of downtown's first master plan completed in 1961 (we love eBay).  The plan, known as the Ebasco Plan, developed the strategy of a twin inner-loop system of one-way couplets cons isting of an outer-loop (Spokane Falls Blvd-Monroe-1st-Washington) moving traffic in a counter-clockwise direction while the inner-loop (Main-Stevens-Sprague-Lincoln) circulated clockwise.  These one-way couplets were suggested to be implemented first because, according to the plan it would reduce accidents and delays at troublesome intersections.  Forty years later we're not sure if this has been the result or not. 

Sprague and Appleway - Someday there'll be a 'there' there

SPOKANE VALLEY - Ahhh...East Sprague Avenue out in the Valley:  Ten miles of wide-open public right-of-way flanked by some of the lowest low-rise development and some of the biggest building setbacks you'll ever see.  It's the antithesis of urban in every way and if you're a pedestrian, forget it.  Things may be changing however.

EVERYBLOCK - A new slant on local information

The world of mashups just got a little more interesting:  Enter EveryBlock.  What Google did for online mapping  EveryBlock is attempting to do for aggregating data on the local level.  We're talking whatever data you can throw at it:  Flickr photos, news stories, building permits, missed connections, restaurant reviews, crime reports, liquor licenses, zoning agenda items, and on and on.  Now take this same data and present, sort, chart, or map it by street, neighborhood, zip code, or heck even council district. 

Currently it's only available for the big 3 - San Fran, New York, and Chicago.  However, at some point this will get local even to Spokane.  Excitingly, revealingly, local - and we can't wait. 

From the EveryBlock Blog:

"We aim to collect all of the news and civic goings-on that have happened recently in your city, and make it simple for you to keep track of news in particular areas. We're a geographic filter -- a "news feed" for your neighborhood, or, yes, even your block."

Masterplanning the friendly skies...

Did you know that by 2020 passenger levels at Spokane International Airport are projected to double from 1.7 million to 3.3 million?  That's huge!  In order to handle that growth, back in 2000 a new Airport Master Plan was developed and resulted in a number of recommendations that focused on Terminal Improvements.  These included:

• Add approx. 12 new aircraft gates to enhance competition through expansion of Concourse C.
• Expand the Air Carrier Apron to allow for additional aircraft parking.
• Expand the automobile parking facilities (either garage or surface).
• Improve the surface access system to increase safety and eliminate congestion.
• Improve intersections through grade-separation, signalization or other methods.
• Provide for potential development of light rail or other mass transit access to the airport.
• Improve capacity for commercial users (e.g. rental car companies, taxis, etc.).

That first item is seen above in bright yellow and compared to the existing old terminal (red) it's a big'un.  Of course that means a sweet new 13,000' x 150' runway [RFQ/RFP-PDF] to service it.  Just last year the largest and newest air traffic tower in Washington went up and now the RENT-A-CAR Renovation [RFQ/RFP-PDF] is out for bid and should be completed by October 1, 2008.

TIPLINE: Another way to give feedback on the Downtown Plan...

The word is that the 1st public meeting on the Downtown Plan Update we mentioned earlier went quite well with a pretty healthy turnout.  Now we know not everyone can make these meetings, but your input is important nevertheless.  Via the MetroSpokane Tipline we were told about another way to provide feedback - An Online Comment Form courtesy the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

This is your chance to touch on those topics that most concern you about YOUR downtown.  A true Boulevard for Spokane Falls Boulevard?  Change back the one-ways?  Improved streetscapes for pedestrians?  More bike facilities/lockers/racks/lanes?  Etc., etc.  So there you go.  You've officially been handed the mike, so make it worth your while.

[NOTE:Though the site says comments are due by 12/14 we've heard they're still accepting.  So take five minutes and let 'er rip.]

• Link:  Downtown Plan Update Comment Form - [Downtown Spokane Partnership]