146_-_2021-8-14_John_and_Kathy_SisserPainted Hills Proposed Development
Comments on Painted Hills PRD DEIS
Public Release Date July 16,2021
We are writing this memo to express our concerns on the proposed Painted Hills Development. We live
at 3909 South Robie Road in Spokane Valley. We are within 400 feet of the northern boundary of the
development.
A major concern is the affordability of these homes. We foresee these this project being marketed as
“affordable “homes, but they will not be. The developer will list the selling price as affordable, but will
they list what the HOA fees are and what the HOA will be responsible for when the HOA assumes
ownership. Probably not because they do know what these fees will be.
With what the developer wants to do to wash his hand of any liability after the project is completed, the
cost is unpredictable. There will need to be some insurance for these repairs. There will need to be a
contingency fund built to cover these unexpected repairs if insurance cannot bmet. What happens
when the HOA declares bankruptcy? Look at the condo disaster in Florida, the lawsuit Phillips vs King
County or a flooded development in Harris County Texas because of poor drainage the developer put in.
The result is the taxpayers of Spokane Valley will be paying the bill, not the developer because he has
washed his hand of the project. Who is going to monitor the developments HOA Board to see that it is
covering all day-to-day maintenance?
The use of the Triangle Pit has been identified as a water storage and infiltration area from the
development. This is about a half a mile for the development. There needs to be right away acquired to
move the water between the two points. Roads and private property will have to be crossed. Who will
be providing maintenance if needed?
When you start adding up all this potential cost and dividing them out amongst the possible
homeowners and adding them to the normal maintenance (mowing and snow removal) affordable
housing this is not. The city does not want these liabilities, do they?
Now let’s look at the impact on the school on Pines Road. This is a unique situation where we have a
Middle School, Elementary, and High School all along Pines Rd. It was stated to the consults back in
2001, when the comments were made regarding Woodlawn Rd being extended to 40th. Currently, it was
under county control. We made the comment that pushing Woodlawn thru would create a perfect
scenario for people from the east to go down Woodlawn, turn right on 40th and have a right hand drop
off at Horizon Middle School or Chester Elementary. Whipple’s people said this would not happen. This
has happened. It was also stated that the students from University High School would find Woodlawn a
way to get to South Madison, bypassing the light. This would not happen. It has.
When the initial traffic study was done, we questioned the validity of the numbers because they did not
include all the school hours, just “standard hours”. School traffic starts about 7:15 AM and continues to
after 9 AM and on late start days, 10 AM. Dismissal starts about 2:30 PM and continues until 3:30 PM,
not normal traffic hours. This development will also increase the number of trips on Madison/Pines to
where it will make it a lot more dangerous for kids to cross in front of Chester from thee Midilome
Development for school. The crossing at 37th and Pines Road is a blind crossing for cars going north
coming up the curve and hill.
Who is going to pay for the road repairs after the developer brings in all the dirt to bring elevation of the
round to get above the flood plain? There is going to be a lot of dust and noise pollution associated with
this part of the project over several years. Are you going to place someone on site for the duration of
the project to monitor the developments use of controls?
My last comments are directed towards the City Council. The developers support your election to the
council, most do not live in the city. We are the taxpayers; we are the ones you should be listening to.
The developer will show up the meetings, convince you to approve the project, build the project out and
leave the city with the bill to fix their screwups. You accept their money, and they have no loyalty after
project is done.
We are not against developments. We spent 10 years in the fastest growing area of Southern California
in the 90’s. We saw growth from less than 10,000 people to over 80,000 during that time. The county,
city , and school district all worked together to get a GREAT product. Developers had to help pay for
schools, parks, and other city infrastructure. Everyone benefited. All followed the rules.
Sincerely,
John and Kathy Sisser