SPOKANE, Wash. – You’re running out of time to share your opinion on a planned 48-unit apartment complex planned for the southern end of Five Mile Prairie.
The multi-family, multi-million dollar project is planned for a two acre lot at 7601 West Five Mile Road, and people living around that site approached us to share their opinions.
Lisa Hairston said she’s conflicted about the ‘Five Mile Apartments’ plan.
“I am very much in support of growth for our community and for housing, and am sympathetic to the housing needs,” Lisa said. “I am also directly behind where these 48 units will be, and the size and the fit for our neighborhood…seems like it might be more than the capacity of the services we have up here.”
Lisa said she feels that the area of Five Mile Prairie lacks a bus service, emergency services, and a convenient way to access groceries, schools, and parks.
“I’m not opposed to having additional housing up here and units that this lot size can handle, but to put 48 units seems it may be excessive,” Lisa added.
Ken Corman has lived in the area for 21 years and said there’s a shared concern on how adding the apartment complex to this lot just off of Five Mile Road could impact traffic he feels is already hazardous in the area at times.
“People are really pretty alarmed at the impact on traffic,” Corman said. “Even if traveling to the apartment doesn’t affect them, the traffic on Five Mile certainly will.”
Corman added that many people moved to that southern end of Five Mile Prairie because they loved the space. That was true for Ellen and Ken Bryan, who have also lived in the area for more than two decades.
“We picked this because of the nature of this neighborhood…with a farm-like feel,” Ken Bryan said. “Now we’ll look at the back end of an apartment building, so for us it’s a change in the neighborhood.”
Ken and Ellen Bryan said they’re also concerned about a spring that runs under the property and how any blasting could affect that. They’re also sad to see the house on the property face demolition.
“Some of our concerns are related to the house that they’re gonna remove, which they’ve said does not qualify for any exempt status,” Ken Bryan said. “I’d like that checked out before they do that because it’s over a hundred years old and it’s one of the oldest houses on the prairie, it was an original Sears kit home.”
We reached out to the city of Spokane Planning and Development Services, as well as others involved in the ‘Five Mile Apartments’ building plan, but did not hear back by the deadline of this story airing Thursday evening.
Ken Corman said Spokane City Council member Zack Zappone was in the area this week surveying the site and also seeking feedback.
“I wonder if the city council when they passed the ordinance really envisioned this type of density, I know they said no density limits,” Ken Corman added. “If it happens here, it can happen to any vacant lot in Spokane.”
If you have concerns or questions about the 48 unit apartment complex, you can contact spokanefivemile@gmail.com.
The City of Spokane invites public comment until Friday, March 22nd at 5 p.m.
dscadmin@spokanecity.org 625-6300
