Garland Growth: Housing projects in historic district bring anticipation, anxiety over parking (original) (raw)

A pair of housing projects set to bring over 100 units online in the Garland District on Spokane's North Side has spurred optimism among some business owners in the area as they consider the potential impacts of the new developments.

The new infill housing, however, soon will turn the popular district into an informal case study of sorts examining the effects of the city’s decision in August to remove minimum parking requirements permanently for new developments.

At 3909 N. Wall, directly north of the former Masonic Temple on west Garland Avenue, construction of the North Hill Millennium development is expected to wrap up in the next couple of weeks. The four-story, $10.5 million apartment development will feature 60 living units and one commercial-retail space, as well as a small parking lot.

Less than a quarter mile to the west, at 951 W. Walton, construction is underway on the 44-unit, four-story apartment complex, dubbed Garland Apartments, in the old parking lot behind the Garland Theater. As previously reported by the Journal, developers of the project were hoping to have the $6.2 million project completed by April 2025.

While the extent of the parking limitations won’t be known until the new living units are occupied, some in the district have expressed concern over possible parking-related issues.

Scot Webb, chair of the North Hill neighborhood council, says the potential lack of available off-street parking will lead to an increase in vehicles parked in front of existing houses.

“People who rent or own their houses in those block radiuses are likely to lose out potentially on spots that they’re accustomed to having,” Webb says.

The parking situation also has raised safety concerns, Webb explains. He says an increase in vehicles parked in the neighborhood could make it difficult for snowplows and emergency vehicles to navigate some of the side streets.

As previously reported, the city's decision to remove minimum parking requirements was made in an effort to cut housing costs and encourage greater density in an environment of housing shortages and affordability issues.

Some business owners in the Garland District are optimistic about the new developments.

Chris Pitotti, owner of Pitotti Coffee Roasters, which is located inside of the Gathering House church at 733 W. Garland, says he hopes the new housing projects will have a positive impact on his business and the district.

“I think it could bring an energy and excitement to the neighborhood, which will bring people who live in other areas in to shop and spend time, eat out,” Pitotti says.

Pitotti says he understands the concern over parking from some, but he’s looking at the situation as an opportunity.

“You make choices as to how you look at things, and they’re getting built, so I choose to be positive. We’re gonna end up with 100-plus new neighbors,” he says. “I still have room for more friends and more customers.”

Full parking lots and occupied parking spots are a good thing, Pitotti contends.

“A crowd draws a crowd,” he says.

Nate Corning, the owner of Mark’s Guitar Shop, at 918 W. Garland, shares Pitotti’s optimism.

“I think certain businesses are going to see some serious upside from it,” Corning says. “If you’re a restaurant, or a coffee shop, or a drinkery establishment of some sort, I think you’re going to see a large increase in traffic just from people wanting to step out their front door and grab something close to home.”

Mark’s Guitar Shop still will have access to its own parking spaces, so Corning isn’t concerned for his own business, but he says he’s aware of concerns from other business owners in the district.

“There’s a lot of nervous energy around the whole thing,” Corning says.

Jim Orcutt, of NAI Black, owns 17 buildings in the Garland District and says he’s heard some of the concerns.

“Obviously, there’s some fear, and I think it may be justified,” Orcutt says. “I think a lot of parking along Garland is going to be impacted.”

Orcutt says one possible solution to help alleviate business owners’ concerns over parking would be to add limitations like one-hour parking signs in front of stores along west Garland Avenue, for example.

“Typically, that requires the property owners communicating with (the city),” Orcutt says. “If I hear enough tenant concern, I’ll definitely reach out to the city and see if that’s something we can add.”

He’s also heard a lot of positivity among business owners with regard to the new developments.

“If you’ve got 100 units going in, it’s going to create that many more bodies, friends, family that show up that are just going to be able to walk right into the district,” he says.

Some business owners also have shared their excitement with Antony Chiang, managing partner at Millennium Northwest LLC, one of the companies behind the development of the North Hill Millennium apartments.

“Millennium’s vision from the very beginning has been to make investments in catalyzing walking districts and neighborhoods like Garland into becoming much more vibrant neighborhoods,” Chiang says.

Chiang says he’s aware of concerns over parking in the neighborhood and says the Millennium project has been developed with parking in mind.

“It’s always a critical factor,” Chiang says. “It’s always a balancing act. If you look at the best practices across the country for most impact on almost all midsized cities, their master plans revolve around infill density, reducing how much land is used for parking lots.”

He adds that in addition to the on-site parking lot at the new development, there is also new street parking created on Wall Street that didn’t previously exist.

“We built what we think is a balance-point ratio of parking versus density,” Chiang says.

Chiang’s hope is that the new development will bring energy and momentum in the Garland District, similar to what happened in the South Perry and Kendall Yards districts in the past, and lead to future investment from property owners, entrepreneurs, and the city.

Orcutt also is hopeful that the district will see some public funding in the future. He points to other business districts in Spokane that have received significant public investment for improvements to sidewalks, streetscaping, lampposts, paving, concrete, and trees.

“It’s a very good use of tax dollars, because if you go to any of those neighborhoods and look at the revitalization of East Sprague, or South Perry, or North Monroe, or even Hillyard north of Wellesley, you can see the correlation between a significant investment on the public side that created immediate benefit and interest on the private side,” Orcutt explains.

He continues, “I think Garland should be very high on the list when the city is making decisions on which neighborhoods to invest in.”

While the North Hill neighborhood council’s ultimate concern is the parking situation, there are also some concerns with the aesthetic of the new developments.

“We were hoping it would feel less plain, which we feel it is, and more fitting into that old, eclectic feel that is Garland,” Webb says of the Millennium apartment building.

While the council is limited in the ways it can oppose the ongoing construction projects, Webb says there have been early discussions around the possibility of applying to make the Garland District a historically recognized district.

“That way, when buildings are either torn down or changed, they still have to meet a standard to fit into the preexisting neighborhood,” Webb says.

Despite the concerns, Webb says he recognizes there is a housing crisis in Spokane, and more housing will be beneficial.

“We want to make sure that our neighborhood keeps the character that it has,” Webb says. “Even with the new development, the new people moving in, that’s not a bad thing. We’re not trying to keep it all out. We just want the aesthetics and the history and culture of our district to remain.”