Amendment to County Consolidated Planj�t�
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
11707 E Sprague Ave Suite 106 ♦ Spokane Valley WA 99206
509.921.1000 ♦ Fax: 509.921.1008 ♦ cityhatt@spokanevalley.org
Proposed Amendment to the Spokane County 2010 -2014 Consolidated Plan
March 1, 2012
1. Proponent:
City of Spokane Valley
Address: 11707 East Sprague Ave., Suite 106
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Contact: Scott Kuhta, AICP, Planning Manager (skuhta @spokanevalley.org)
2. Description of Proposed Amendment:
The City of Spokane Valley proposes a minor amendment to the 2010 -2014 Consolidated Plan;
specifically changing sidewalks from a Low Priority to a High Priority under the Infrastructure
category in Table 2B — Priority Community Development Needs (page 128). The City of Spokane
Valley believes that this change will facilitate the construction of safer pedestrian routes serving
low and moderate income neighborhoods throughout Spokane County.
3. Principles of Consolidated Plan:
• Priority to Lowest- Income: The proposed change will enable all members of the
Spokane County CDBG Consortium to use CDBG funding to build sidewalks in low
income neighborhoods. As the price of owning an automobile rises and our population
ages, safe and convenient pedestrian access from neighborhoods to transit, services and
schools is increasingly critical.
• Basic Support: The proposed amendment falls under the "infrastructure" category and
does not impact important Public Services that address basic community needs.
• Citizen Participation: The City of Spokane Valley adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian
Master Program (BPMP) in 2011, now integrated as a chapter in the City's
Comprehensive Plan. The BPMP process provided ample opportunity for citizen
involvement, including workshops, open houses and surveys. Over 900 people were on
the program's contact database and over 350 people responded to an online survey
where information was gathered on biking and walking in the City. When asked what
prevents a person from biking or walking, an overwhelming 70% of the respondents said
it was due to a lack of facilities. Through this process, a map was created that showed
areas with missing sidewalk connections, many of which are located in low and
moderate income residential neighborhoods.
• Collaboration: The City's BPMP process relied heavily on collaboration with the
Spokane Regional Health District, Central, East, and West Valley School Districts, bicycle
advocacy groups, Spokane Transit, Spokane Valley Public Works Department and other
agencies in developing the BPMP. The groups have "ownership" in the BPMP and its
successful implementation will directly benefit low and moderate income
neighborhoods. Changing the sidewalk priority from low to high will help expedite
implementing the BPMP.
• Emphasize the Potential: The proposed change will help provide our city and other
jurisdictions the opportunity to improve our pedestrian connections to public transit.
Better connections to public transit will enable low and moderate income residents to
access critical services.
• Leverage: The City's BPMP was created through partnerships with various public and
private entities and its implementation will rely on these partnerships to help guide
limited resources to the high priority areas.
• Measurable Results: The City annually updates its sidewalk inventory maps, so we can
measure results in linear footage of sidewalks constructed throughout the City. The
maps currently show that 48 miles of sidewalks are missing throughout low and
moderate income residential neighborhoods. The proposed amendment will enable the
City to fill the void on the maps where sidewalks are needed throughout low and
moderate income areas.
• Comprehensive: The City's Bike and Pedestrian Master Program was developed with
assistance from the Spokane Regional Health District. There is an increasing interest in
linking our built environment to public health. The BPMP states that "literature reviews
have shown that urban design and land use policies creating opportunities for physical
activity within communities have been effective and are considered best practices for
increasing a community's health and reducing obesity ".
The SRHD considers socio- economic factors as they relate to health. SRHD advocates
for better bicycle and pedestrian facilities, especially in low and moderate income areas
as these populations are most vulnerable to increasing cost of owning and operating a
car. Between 2004 and 2008, 43.9 percent of the City's population was at or below the
200 percent federal poverty level, more than twice the national average. A substantial
portion of the population cannot afford automobile transportation. For these people, in
addition to the young in age and an aging population, getting around by walking, biking
or transit is a necessity. Building more sidewalks in low and moderate neighborhoods
will encourage people to walk, thus making them healthier and providing a safer means
to access public services.
4. Why the Change Should be Made:
Spokane Valley's Bike and Pedestrian Master Program was developed through collaboration
with various public agencies, private interest groups and interested citizens. The community
showed strong interest in developing safe facilities for biking and walking, including safe routes
to schools. The BMPM includes a Recommended Pedestrian Network map that shows existing
and proposed sidewalks and another map showing Safe Routes to Schools. The map attached to
this proposed amendment overlays existing and proposed sidewalks and safe routes to schools
onto the 2010 Low and Moderate Income Block Groups. Our analysis shows the following data
in low and moderate income residential neighborhoods (note that only residentially zone
properties were included):
Proposed Sidewalks — 181,729 ft
Existing Sidewalks — 225,316 ft
Safe Routes to Schools — 74,770 ft
Therefore, our data shows that about 48 linear miles of sidewalk are needed in low and
moderate income neighborhoods in Spokane Valley alone. The City has very limited means to
build sidewalks in existing residential neighborhoods. Sidewalks are typically constructed by
private developers for new development. Sidewalks are also constructed by the City during
road upgrades. However, federal and state funds can typically only be used on streets classified
as arterials. Therefore, very limited funding is available for local neighborhood
streets /sidewalks that connect to the arterials.
As highlighted above, people with low incomes are finding it increasingly more difficult to afford
an automobile as a primary means of transportation. We believe very strongly that sidewalk
should be listed as a high priority infrastructure project in the Spokane County Consolidated
Plan. We believe the community supports better pedestrian facilities.
Thank you for your consideration:
l
Mike Jackson( City Manger Date
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