Corridor "Planning" Meeting update

[Tom Lamar <lamar@pcei.org>]

2020:

This is an update about last week's corridor planning meeting.  It was
written by PCEI Board Member, Denise Ortiz who attended the meeting.
Moscow residents should note that Whitman County is very much planning on
the City of Moscow providing water and sewer services across the state
line.  Read MOSCOW'S ROLE below.  This is one aspect of Whitman County's
plan where Moscow residents can have a direct impact.

The Whitman County Planning Commission met last Tuesday night (March 16th)
to begin a series of meetings aimed at producing development standards for
the corridor (Hwy 270) between Pullman and Moscow.  It is anticipated the
process will take 2-4 meetings and then the public will have 1-2 chances to
comment on the new standards. They are addressing the corridor specifically
at these meetings, not the entire county. Their jump-off point is the
previously proposed 1995 "Corridor Enterprise Zone" plan.  Next meeting (to
look  at comp. plan language related to the corridor) is 7:00pm April 21 in
the Public Services Building on Main St., Colfax; the meeting is upstairs.

PUBLIC COMMENT
Although these corridor meetings are "workshops" for the commissioners, the
public is allowed to comment at the beginning. Last Tuesday night, 3 people
from the same family who owns corridor property testified in favor of
development and very lenient standards (or even no standards). Corridor
resident, Mrs. Jorstad sent somebody to say she doesn't want to see any
more development at all in the corridor. Three other people testified
against development, and the rest were emails forwarded by PCEI from
members against any development and those willing to allow development
under strict guidelines. PCEI also faxed in a formal letter as did the
Pullman Civic Trust. The Trust's letter allowed for some development under
strict guidelines (addressing the aquifer, Paradise Creek, setbacks and
landscaping, traffic, trail users, etc.)

BACKGROUND
Out of the corridor's 8 miles, 3.5 are still in agriculture. Most of the
rest is already zoned for heavy commercial or heavy industrial. The
commissioners will try to follow the 1988 commission's  5 guidelines for
the corridor even though they admitted these are incompatible:
1. promote economic development
2. promote safe traffic conditions
3. encourage the building of a recreational trail   :)
4. enhance scenic and environmental quality
5. promote several land uses
The commissioners are also claiming that the corridor will never become a
strip mall because the standards were and will remain very restrictive,
permitting only 50% of each lot to be developed and requiring that
development be "clustered".  Said one commissioner: "The corridor will
never be Sprague Avenue. We are not blessed here with unlimited flat land
for unlimited development opportunities." The former plan lists over 25
permissible activities in the corridor, including warehouses, golf courses,
banks, communication towers, jails, and doctors', dentists', and attorneys'
offices, among others.

ADVISORY BALLOT  or   SURVEY
County Planner Mark Bordsen is interested in both of these, but fears a
ballot would present an unclear question and a survey is too
expensive--nobody in the county is willing to pay for a survey of the
citizens.

MOSCOW'S ROLE
The county planner mentioned "negotiating" with the City of Moscow to start
development at the east end by offering Moscow something that would entice
her to extend sewer and water lines even across the state line, as other
cities have. This would be because there are more access points at the
Moscow end.

ARGUMENTS GIVEN FOR CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT
*need for economic diversification in the county
*wildlife can be seen in other corridors and on other county roads
*the corridor is already "trashed" so we may as well finish the job
*development is change, and change is inevitable and always good
*this corridor is not special
*opponents of development think the corridor is "pristine"
*people opposed to corridor development are simply city people who drive
only the corridor and never go out into the county to see wildlife,
countryside, etc.

Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director

===================================================================
Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute
P O Box 8596; 112 West 4th St; Suite #1
Moscow ID 83843-1096
Phone (208)882-1444; Fax (208)882-8029
url:  http://www.moscow.com/pcei

Please Note our individual staff email addresses below:

Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director: lamar@pcei.org
Kathleen Lester, Office Manager/Environmental Education: lester@pcei.org
Laurie Gardes, Financial Manager:  gardes@turbonet.com
Anita Grover, Watersheds: grover@pcei.org
Colette DePhelps, Community Food Systems: dephelps@pcei.org
Peggy Adams, Watersheds/Food Systems: peggy931@uidaho.edu
Jon Barrett, Idaho Smart Growth:  smartgro@micron.net
Elaine Clegg, Idaho Smart Growth:  eclegg@micron.net

Celebrating thirteen years of connecting people, place and community.
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