North Greenacres Neighborhood

Neighborhood Survey - August 29, 2005 - Impact Fees & Roads

Transportation and Impact Fees - Big Items on Survey

(Please Mail or Drop Off Survey to Bob Ladd 17709 E. Indiana,
or to Pete Miller 18124 E. Mission By Friday, Sept. 2nd)

Please read information, and then give your answers and/or comments – if additional comment space is needed, please use back of page and reference the question’s number.

Hot Topic: Impact Fees
Spokane’s Board of Realtors and the Home Builders Association sent a letter to the City Council against impact fees. In addition, the Home Builder’s Association sent a letter to city council candidates stating they believe that additional sales taxes and real estate taxes produced from developments should be enough to pay for off-site community improvements and that they should not be subject to impact fees.

Yet, in summarizing his paper titled, “Paying for Prosperity: Impact Fees and Job Growth,” author Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, has this to say:

“Growth costs money. And increasingly many municipalities, confronted with tax-averse electorates, have turned to impact fees – one-time charges against new development – to pay the costs of growth. Traditionally, these costs have been financed by property taxes. However, those revenues have proven mostly inadequate to fund the roads, water and sewer infrastructure, and schools required by new residential and commercial development (Nelson, Arthur C, PhD and Mitch Moody. “Paying for Prosperity: Impact Fees and Job Growth.” The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. 2003: vi.).”

Furthermore, Dr. Nelson finds that without impact fees, “growing communities may not be able to sustain growth (Nelson 2003).”

We asked Dr. Nelson, of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, whether new development pays for all the additional needs they create in the community. Here is his answer:

“Correctly applied fiscal analysis often shows that new development pays its own way when it comes to maintenance and operation of infrastructure but only about one-third to two-thirds of its way in terms of off-site infrastructure. Impact fee methodologies actually account for the share of the new revenues generated by new development that are used to help finance the very facilities also financed in part from impact fees. The result is often that impact fees represent about a quarter to half the cost of new facilities benefiting new development.”


Presently, the City Council is undecided about impact fees and is being strongly lobbied to not study and impose impact fees. This means shortfalls would have to be paid for in additional taxes. (Note: Typically, impact fees for low income housing are waived.)

#1 Should the City of Spokane Valley study and assess impact fees?

Yes__________ No__________ Comments_______________________________
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#2 If the City of Spokane Valley will not support and impose impact fees, would you support an initiative be placed on the ballot for the city to study and assess impact fees?

Yes__________ No __________ Comments _________________________________
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Local Road Improvements
On the City of Spokane Valley’s 6-year Plan – Flora Rd will be improved, from the south, up to the Mission Ave. intersection. New developments north of Mission Ave. will improve Flora Rd. to within 500 feet of the intersection of Montgomery Ave. and Flora Rd.



#3 Should the City of Spokane Valley’s 6-year transportation plan extend the planned Flora Rd. improvements to Montgomery (up to the Centennial Trail trailhead) to improve the corner’s poor-visibility and related hazards?

Yes ________ No________ Comments _________________________
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The Department of Transportation’s next project is to plan freeway improvements from Sullivan to Barker.

#4 Considering the Flora Rd. overpass under snowy/icy conditions, do you think it is a priority for the Flora Rd. overpass grade to be improved?

Yes________No_________Comments_____________________________
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“Narrow Streets” are used as a road engineering tool in many areas of the US and Canada. Oregon defines narrow streets, as roads having a pavement cross-section of equal to or less than 28 feet. The City of Spokane Valley’s minimum roadway cross-section is 30 feet.

#5 Should North Greenacres Neighborhood continue to support the narrow streets concept?

Yes____________No_____________Comments_____________________


#6 Should the City of Spokane Valley’s Comprehensive Plan have a policy that allows City Engineers to adapt road design to local conditions and neighborhood character?

Yes___________No______________Comments_____________________
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Road Connectivity – Commuter Roads
Please reference road diagrams provided.

Greenstone Corporation has applied for a downgrade of Mission Avenue from Harvard to Barker as an improved two-lane road with curbs and gutters. The development company is looking at improving Cataldo Rd. into a future five-lane arterial (4 lanes with a turn lane) from Harvard to Barker. Spokane Valley currently plans to improve Mission, west of Barker, to a three lane arterial (2 lanes with a turn lane).




Flora Barker

#7 Should Mission also be downgraded to a two lane between Barker & Flora to be consistent with Mission east of Barker?

Yes_________No______Comments_____________________________
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Indiana Ave., east of Sullivan is planned to intersect Flora at Mission Ave. It is aligned with the sewer trunk line for better utility access. In considering increased traffic on Mission, it is worth noting that a 650 student elementary school is planned on Mission, as well as a possible park.

There is discussion of realigning Cataldo (east of Barker) with Boone (west of Barker – through neighborhood to Flora). Presently Boone is an unimproved, dirt road with approximately 72 feet that includes unobstructed abandoned railroad easement.







#8 If Boone is improved to a three lane roadway, (two lanes with a turn lane), should Boone continue past Flora to connect with Indiana going West toward the Valley Mall?


Yes_________No__________Comments_________________________



#9 Would you consider improving both Mission and Boone Avenues, as east-west roads connecting to Sullivan Rd?





Yes__________No__________Comments__________________________