Readers respond to an Inlander article about Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart's hope to change certain regulations to promote a denser urban area (1/10/18):
Trevor Bradley: Parking minimums, height maximums, and single family zoning are all inhibitors to healthy urban growth. Some regulations are regressive and need to be removed. I applaud Stuckart for embracing the good urbanist policies Spokane needs to move forward.
Keith M. Weller: Well, he has earned his kickback. His whole campaign is bought and paid for by the people at the Spokane Home Builders Association.
Michael Joseph Ferrell: Why can't we have necessary regulations and develop more housing? This man's logic doesn't make sense to me.
Julie Shepard-Hall: I don't like the idea of reducing required parking. In the Gonzaga area the infill building is crazy. Slapping up these oversize box houses and people having to park in the streets then causes a safety hazard for emergency responders. ♦
Readers respond to an Inlander Q&A with Greenstone founder and developer Jim Frank about affordable housing in Spokane (1/10/18):
Elizabeth Parker: Now that's some good thinking. We need to get busy on traffic issues now as well. In the three years since I moved back here (NC grad), traffic is getting worse and worse. Even during the off hours, the freeway through downtown to the Valley is now packed. Sure urban development will help, but where?
Holly Robertson: We need to work on mass transit options too, faster and more frequent. Neighborhoods that have lots of abandoned houses can be turned into duplexes or townhouses. We have the land we just have to use it wisely.
Marla Malmberg: If you want more diversity in the downtown area, build smaller homes, condos and townhouses for retired people, working single and married couples. Nothing in the downtown area is affordable now and people will gladly accept smaller, more affordable housing to move to the downtown area. ♦
CLARIFICATION
In an article last week ("Trouble on the Block," 1/10/19), we gave the incorrect age of Ridpath Hotel's main tower. While the hotel originally opened in 1900, that tower, which is currently being converted into apartments, was destroyed by fire in 1950 and rebuilt by 1952. The Ridpath had been regarded as Spokane's oldest continuously operated hotel, with its 108-year run, when it closed in 2008.
The Inlander is committed to getting things right. Honest mistakes still happen. If they do, we'll correct them. Report any errors that warrant correction to [email protected].
