Tags: I Saw You
Tags: I Saw You
Tags: I Saw You
Tags: Cheers
Tags: I Saw You
If you thought the Walt Worthy’s initial plan to build a 15-story hotel sounded a little over ambitious, Worthy appears to agree with you. In a letter last month to City Council President Ben Stuckart, he says he determined last year “that the cost to build a large convention hotel was too high for us to feel comfortable moving forward.”
But instead of just eliminating the hotel completely, Worthy, in his words, “value-engineered” the project, slashing two floors from the plan. Yet it would still have about 700 guest rooms, 900 car parking spaces, and 70,000 square feet of meeting space, he writes.
Yet, he also wanted to discuss a number of incentives the City of Spokane could give Worthy for building his hotel. Those include a 10-year tax abatement, at-cost permitting and plan-check fees, and concessions regarding development fees like building permits, impact fees, and parking meter revenue.
“We are still qualifying the overall cost of the project and need your help with these items,” Worthy wrote in his letter. “We are at a point where we have decided that within the next 20 days we will either move forward or abandon this project altogether.” That was 26 days ago. Other incentives for Worthy might be a possibility as well.
“[Worthy] mentioned in the last meeting he had with [the city planning department], that he was close to making his numbers work with some assistance. But then he said, ‘I didn’t calculate the construction sales tax in there,’” City Planning Director Scott Chesney says. “Because it’s in our control, [a construction sales tax abatement] may be the last piece we can put on the table.”
After all, such a project could bring a substantial amount of economic development if it succeeds.
It’s not unusual for cities or counties to offer big incentives to undertake a massive project. (Kendall Yards is just one example.) But granting specific requests, worth vast quantities of tax dollars, to an already-successful developer can be dicey. Stuckart says he wants to make sure general rules are made, instead of just targeting one project by one developer.
But when it comes to Worthy’s hotel, timing is of the essence.
“The goal is to get back to Mr. Worthy as soon as possible,” Stuckart said at a study session yesterday. “He wanted to pour dirt next month.”
Stuckart also wanted to ensure that, if the city is handing out incentives, it attaches strings involving livable wages and the use of local contractors. By next week, he says, he hopes the city will have a policy that will establish which incentives to give projects like Worthy’s proposed hotel.
In this city, Worthy’s name carries a lot of weight: “If it was just about anybody else I’d have concerns, but because we’re having somebody with a track record with this community who has a history of doing these kinds of things, it’s a whole different discussion in my mind,” Councilman Jon Snyder said at the meeting.
Letter from Walt Worthy regarding new hotel
Tags: Development , News , Image
Downtown Spokane's crumbling, accident-prone sidewalks have been selected for a $1.1 million grant from the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, through a program focused on encouraging alternatives to driving.
The city will match the grant with about $173,000 and the Downtown Spokane Partnership will chip in $49,600.
We told you about the state of the city's sidewalks and the toll its taking on city coffers earlier this year.
Construction will be phased over 2014 and 2015 and will consist of replacing broken sidewalk on eight different blocks, installing curb ramps and sidewalk bump-outs on four corners.
Locations (see the map below) were prioritized based on their proximity to other planned improvements, the "entertainment district" and the STA plaza, according to the city's application for the grant. (Sidewalks on Howard will also get work because the road is considered a "major pedestrian corridor.") The project will include new bike racks, planters, garbage cans, street trees and street tree grates.
Here's the plan for which areas will get spruced up, from the city's grant application:
The White House announced this afternoon U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, a graduate of North Central High School, will receive the nation's highest military honor next month for "conspicuous gallantry" under enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2009.
On Oct. 3, 2009, Carter served with the 61st Cavalry Regiment during an intense battle at Combat Outpost Keating, in which more than 400 enemy fighters attempted to overrun the facility. The official narrative for Carter's Medal of Honor states he faced "heavy small arms and indirect fire" for more than six hours."Carter's remarkable acts of heroism and skill, which were vital to the defense of COP Keating, exemplify what it means to be an American hero," the dramatic narrative recounts.
The staff sergeant becomes the fifth living recipient to earn the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. He is scheduled to meet with President Obama on Aug. 26 to receive the award.
Of the 54 members of Carter's B Troop, eight solders died in the Keating attack and more than 25 were injured during several hours of intense fighting.
Former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, of Minot, N.D., also received the Medal of Honor in February for his actions during the same battle.
The Army has launched a special page recognizing Carter's honor with information on his service record, commendations and personal history. The official narrative of the battle at COP Keating is also available.
ABC correspondent Jake Tapper recently released a book, The Outpost, about the battle at COP Keating.
Carter, 33, was born in Spokane in 1980. He spent his early years in California before moving back to Spokane in 1991. He graduated from North Central High School in 1998 and initially enlisted in the Marine Corps. He later re-enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2008.
He now serves with the 7th Infantry Division based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma.
Tags: Ty Carter , US Army , Medal of Honor , News , Image
Local initiative proponents won a small, if temporary, victory Friday morning in Superior Court.
Judge Maryann Moreno denied a request from a coalition of business interests for a preliminary injunction, which would have kept two citizen initiatives off the November ballot. The ruling came after two hours of argument before a courtroom packed with suits and plain-clothed activists.
One initiative is Envision Spokane's third try at a Community Bill of Rights, expanding neighborhood rights and environmental protections. Another, from the group Spokane Moves to Amend the Constitution, would outlaw private lobbying — corporations’ employees talking to city officials about legislation — and corporate contributions to local campaigns.
Moreno considered whether placing the initiatives on the ballot would cause harm to the business interests between now and Election Day. The coalition challenging the initiatives — which includes Avista, Greater Spokane Incorporated, the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Spokane County and three Spokane City Council members — had to prove they would suffer irreparable harm just by the initiatives being allowed on the ballot. The group's attorney, Rob Maguire, argued the potential of Envision's initiative is already hampering economic development by making developers wary to build just to have the laws changed in November. But that argument was too speculative, the judge ruled.
But next month the judge will hear another option that would also keep the initiatives off the ballot and has a better chance of survival. She'll consider a declaratory judgment, which could also keep the initiatives off the ballot because they are outside the scope of local initiative power rather than because they cause direct harm to the coalition before November.
Initiative opponents argue the initiatives attempt to override state law in a multitude of ways, from "chilling" corporations' free speech to attempting to override the Clean Water Act by giving the Spokane River rights, as Envision has proposed.
Pre-election challenges often succeed when the city holding the election files the suit and argues the cost to hold the vote is the harm caused. Spokane did not join this challenge.
After the ruling, Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, who joined this suit and has been outspoken against both initiatives, told the coalition's lawyer it was the "best outcome we could have hoped for without the city [joining the suit]."
McLaughlin says she's hopeful the judge will rule the initiatives outside the scope of the city's power next month.
Envision Spokane and SMAC frame the fight as a political one, motivated by corporations' desire to squash citizens' rights to expression.
Michael Whipple, who's representing Envision, called the case part of a "battle plan to erode [Envision's] financial resources."
SMAC's attorney, Terrence Sawyer, spoke about the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court and the trend toward corporate personhood.
"This corporate rights movement is a cancer on our society," he said.
Initiative backers believe citizens have the right to express their opinions on the initiatives first and business interests can sue after Election Day. But Maguire argued the ballot box isn't the place for political gestures.
"The ballot is not about sending messages," he told the court. "It's about enacting laws."
The next hearing is set for Aug. 23.
Tags: election 2013 , envision spokane , spokane moves to amend the constitution , initiatives , nancy mclaughlin , downtown spokane partnership , greater spokane incorporated , avista , News , Image
FRIDAY
Punk rockers travel left side of country sharing sweat, new 7-inch
The Blind Pets know a lot about sweat dripping out of every pore. The Austin-based threesome practices in a storage facility — the kind one could potentially suffocate in if left inside too long.
“Practicing in there, there are just buckets of sweat,” says Joshua Logan, the band’s vocalist and guitarist.
The fact Spokane has been enjoying spiked temps in the 90s doesn’t even faze him — “that’s like a nice breezy day for us,” Logan explains.
But the super-cheap practice conditions allow the group to be ready for anything (and have extra money for things like gas and drugs).
“This is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about, it never was about being in a f---ing air conditioned room,” Logan says. “Plus it prepares us for any type of venue where there may not be any air.”
Coming to Jones Radiator Friday, the grunge/punk rockers will bring the heat once again to Spokane (most recently, they performed at Carr’s Corner). On tour of the left half of the country, the guys, rounded out with Dustin Hannah on bass and Michael Anthony Gibson on drums, are out promoting their May-released He Said She Said 7-inch. The tour included opening for grunge originals Mudhoney Sunday in Colorado.
“We’ve always been told we sound like them so we’ve ran with that in a way,” Logan says. “I didn’t really listen to them until then.”
Originally from New Mexico, Logan has called Austin home for a decade. In that time, he considers the town to have become the Seattle/L.A./Portland/New York of Texas — not just culture-wise but band-wise.
But is the scene, infiltrated with bands, too competitive?
“The competition is a good thing,” Logan says. “It weeds out the people who want to be a musician. But shouldn’t be. Everyone loves music, but not everyone is talented enough to make it.”
And while making it is the goal, Logan is convinced his band is above the fray in his Texas town.
“We’re the bastards of Austin because we’re doing what we want to do,” Logan explains. “Austin is really niche-y, and we’re doing our own thing.”
And given that not too many other groups are practicing in storage facilities these days, perhaps he has a point.
The Blind Pets with 66beat • Tonight at 9 pm • Jones Radiator • 120 E. Sprague Ave. • Free • 21+ • 747-6005
Friday also includes yet another folk group out of Portland. But this one has a cello (which makes everything better) and, mostly, passes over the banjo in favor of a mandolin to round out its instrumentation lineup. The Strangled Darlings, George Veech and Jessica Anderly, are much better than most of the wannabe Mumford & Sons or The Decemberists acts around. There’s vague influences of country and scat running through their sound, but mostly it’s down-home groovin’ folk with a teaspoon of odd sexuality. Do check out the songs "Circus" and "Sail Along" before you head that way.
Wolves in the Woods, Strangled Darlings, Tyler Aker • Tonight at 10 pm • Mootsy’s • 406 W. Sprague Ave. • Cost • 21+ • 838-1570
SATURDAY
Shows to check out:
Kramer, Normal Babies at Baby Bar
December in Red, 5 Timers Over, Helldorado, Headway at Carr’s Corner
Raised By Wolves, I Hate This City, Concrete Grip at The Hop!
And, of course, Phish at the Gorge both Friday and Saturday nights
Tags: Weekend music , The Blind Pets , Strangled Darlings , Music , Video , Image