Tonight, Wednesday, October 13, 2010, Spokane County is holding an open house regarding an update to the Spokane County Urban Growth Area (UGA) at the Spokane County Public Works Building, 1026 West Broadway Avenue, Spokane, WA, from 4-7 PM. The Land Quantity Analysis (LQA) is updated every 10 years to ensure that there is sufficient land available for accommodate growth.
(For those of you who believe we've already grown past the region's ability to sustain us, RCW 36.70A.130(3)(b) states that the UGA "shall be revised to accommodate the urban growth projected to occur in the county for the succeeding twenty-year period." Denying availability of land for growth is not an option. Not adding land for that purpose is an option, however.)
The results of the LQA are as follows: We're already set. The LQA projects a 2031 Spokane County population of 612,226, and the current ability to accommodate 4,864 more than that. It also analyzes the availability of commercial lands, and concludes that there's 60% too much available. But, that's nothing. It also finds that there's more than 4-1/2 times as much industrial land available than is necessary.
Conclusion: were not just sprawling now, if we change nothing except grow, we'll still be sprawling in 20 years.
Does this end the debate? Not at all. Some of the first salvos of the battle have already been fired, with some developers arguing that because Spokane County isn't building densely enough, we need to spread out more. So, unless the planning department gets your input, the UGA may expand despite this analysis.
(Did I mention that planning is an inherently political activity?)
The county released two documents, one technical, the other summary. If you'd like to take a gander, here they are:
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This is an interactive blog for people interested planning in the Spokane region or planning in general.