Purpose_and_Need_Statement_11-1-2018DRAFT Purpose and Need Statement – Painted Hills Development DEIS
The purpose of the proposed action is to relieve the under-supply of housing in the Spokane Valley area.
According to the Spokane Association of Realtors Home Sales Report,1 Spokane County has limited
housing inventory; current inventory as of September 2018 is 1,451 single family residential properties,
which is about a two-month supply. As evidenced in a Spring 2018 report from the Spokane-Kootenai
Real Estate Research Committee, new housing starts in Spokane County in 2017 outpaced the supply of
newly platted lots in that same year, with 1,500 single family building permits issued compared to 1,128
newly created lots. This trend has continued so far in 2018, with 471 residential building permits and
257 lots platted as of the first quarter of this year. The proposed development site is one of the largest
contiguously owned buildable tracts of residential land in Spokane Valley and represents a unique
opportunity to provide needed housing supply.
This DEIS has been prepared in accordance with the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA,
RCW 43.21C). This DEIS is not a decision document. The primary purpose of this DEIS is to disclose the
potential environmental impacts of implementing the proposed action and project alternatives.
1 Information comes from the SAR’s Monthly Activity Report which looks at single family residential/ site built properties on less than one acre
and condominiums.