[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6174814,"mediaKeyId","5364694-32696747a76d113aec3ccf3291140bbc","parentId",5364694,"title","City staff reports housing allocation under HB 1220: Spokane must plan for about 22,359 new homes by 2046","audioSeconds",2717,"startMs",4575000,"endMs",7292000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364694-32696747a76d113aec3ccf3291140bbc&start=4575&end=7292","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364694-32696747a76d113aec3ccf3291140bbc/thumbnail_4575000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6174814/Spokane/Spokane-County/Washington/City-staff-reports-housing-allocation-under-HB-1220-Spokane-must-plan-for-about-22359-new-homes-by-2046","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174814-b0f6234ae1d9f1e060ea428904a69626/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188258&Signature=ZIomV~0ZnAgsqYBdM4LFXDKUAMEbHfPEwHjMFrLcD4vf4dsjWr9OfJe7W1VZGUeglCEUv97u~pCB0lmwSZ5X9Bwc3wjXq45nNgx1YN5KBOpeSI7ANeA4lDmIT~IuLauAjit49~SWM~tTMokzWVdJw~uUlszaNHbom4ja72gfnfXclN3KeT6kHvGCkYmK7esJXCiHRIn3rBSRwWjSOcUcGhvSxTWN4cJPSJK-8OrsDO07sYypvnUX3~amlUSaAC0p5pLTKyXq-0IriXL2OWmC9fyVWbyfenlxsb~0CDK9q517QnylYbeJjeydAiisqag-i5J36UCNCOgsH6wbfhLiMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Spokane City, WA","date","2025-07-11T15:33:22Z","article","City planning staff told the Spokane Plan Commission on July 9 that the city needs to plan for approximately 22,359 new housing units by 2046 under state guidance implemented through House Bill 1220 and the Department of Commerce housing-allocation planning tool (HAPT).

Kevin Fred, planning staff, explained the statewide and regional context used to produce the number: Office of Financial Management population projections feed county-level allocations; Spokane County’s chosen middle projection produces a county growth of roughly 100,000 people by 2046, and the city’s share of population growth is about 23,400 people by 2046. Using Commerce’s tools, Fred said the county housing target is about 75,184 new homes and the city’s housing apportionment is 22,359 homes. Fred summarized the allocation’s composition: about 60% of the need addresses housing for net new residents (roughly 14,000 units), 30% addresses past underproduction (roughly 7,000 units), and 10% is intended to help reduce homelessness (about 2,300 units).

Fred told the commission that the HAPT tool breaks the housing target into affordability brackets tied to area median income (AMI) percentages and that Commerce’s guidance recommends consolidating brackets for analytical practicality. He described the practical method the city used to convert land-capacity and market data into affordability outcomes: the planning team combined the adopted land-capacity analysis (LCA) with publicly available housing-price and rent data (Zillow/Redfin), statewide research center data and census tenure data to estimate where new units are likely to be built and whether they would be rental or owner-occupied.

On the results, Fred said Spokane shows a significant shortfall of units in the 0–80% AMI bracket. \"We are short on the 0 to 80% case,\" he told commissioners, adding that the city has some excess capacity in higher AMI brackets that could be addressed with policy changes. He emphasized that the analysis used Commerce guidance and that the city will need policy and mapping changes in the comprehensive-plan update to increase capacity and promote affordable options.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the HAPT methodology, whether the tool reflects existing disparities and how to interpret neighborhood-level results. Fred told the commission HAPT is an established state tool with detailed guidance; the exact algorithm is not a simple single formula but is based on multiple public inputs (population projections, local housing-market indicators and county apportionment choices). He said the city used a neighborhood-level approach to map median home prices and rents to expected affordability brackets, then applied census tenure splits to estimate how many new units in a given area would be rental versus owner units.

Commissioners raised concerns about unintended consequences of policies that could concentrate low-income housing in particular neighborhoods. Fred said forthcoming analyses — including displacement-risk and racial-disparate-impact work — will be used to inform where capacity should be added and how to avoid concentrating poverty. He also noted the state requirement to revisit analysis over time; Commerce guidance sets re-evaluation intervals and the city will track changes between updates.

Fred described some technical clarifications that informed the numbers: the analysis uses completed housing units (certificate-of-occupancy) through the most recent year available to reduce the remaining need; the HAPT allocation covers only traditional housing units (it excludes group quarters such as dormitories and institutional housing) and used the 2025 AMI published by HUD for Spokane County.

Ending: Staff said the housing-allocation figures are a required analytical input for the comprehensive-plan update and will be part of the forthcoming EIS and policy alternatives. Commissioners and staff agreed the next steps are to use the allocation to test map and policy alternatives, coordinate displacement- and equity-related analyses, and develop targeted policy measures to increase capacity for housing affordable at 0–80% AMI.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 9th, 2025 Plan Commission Workshop Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","City staff reported that Spokane must plan for roughly 22,359 additional housing units by 2046 under House Bill 1220 and Department of Commerce guidance, and identified a shortfall in housing affordable at 0–80% of area median income.","taxTitle","Spokane, Spokane County, Washington","taxId",2644,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6174819,"Plan commission advances Excelsior wellness development agreement to hearing after staff workshop",3911,519000,4430000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364694-32696747a76d113aec3ccf3291140bbc&start=519&end=4430","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364694-32696747a76d113aec3ccf3291140bbc/thumbnail_519000.jpg","/articles/6174819/Spokane/Spokane-County/Washington/Plan-commission-advances-Excelsior-wellness-development-agreement-to-hearing-after-staff-workshop","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174819-ac7a547ba2ed6f022519f84d21ef60eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188258&Signature=cSdlB~zLvRqnQq3dwUz90n2q6cpWLkfnOOEpQnO2zX6LlN16CZT7UDt~3lz6T5RRIibGV-oCkYBdQm-zMCdQTmZ0INCIZWt3hKMJCr7T-fAiGTunEdtxVFAlKZZ8syWhScEvpFdiEtIMTPvLuNfzQ~DFIofD6VNp6ewIuBVXmWtSYp6sY9~JI3sE0p~HgpZeIA8ulGIrnGT~poMD7STas-2A-NVvR3GlNxw8KVY-glCgWyfALvUnLXT9qNihLM~TWGv5jkgfZdf6BNq0GTrWFlObfvo42nd0eX~Cb~-f8ezAOleqrK31tmlNvWHC93BT2ssDZSr0blQh9JeSn50Fsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Spokane Plan Commission voted July 9 to advance a draft development agreement for the Excelsior wellness project to a public hearing after a detailed staff workshop and questions from commissioners and members of the applicant team. The workshop covered draft terms the city and applicant are still negotiating, including a schematic site plan, circulation and access on Indian Trail, water and wastewater needs, cultural-resource surveys for undisturbed areas and a list of prohibited uses.

The agreement responds to a condition in ordinance C-36613 that accompanied the commission and council approval of a comprehensive plan amendment. Kevin Fred, city planning staff, told commissioners this development agreement is a “contract that we're negotiating” and emphasized that the commission was not relitigating the comprehensive plan amendment previously approved by city council: “We're not relitigating the comprehensive plan amendment. It's approved. This is a condition of that amendment.”

Commissioners focused on several technical areas that staff said would be addressed in the development agreement or later during permit review. Staff said the agreement will require a schematic site plan showing likely locations for multifamily, single-family and any community-business uses; a circulation plan showing primary access on Indian Trail and potential internal connections; a trip-generation letter for the whole development; a water-demand analysis; and a cultural-resources survey for undisturbed portions of the site. Fred said Integrated Capital Management (ICM) asked that the whole development be analyzed up front so impacts are assessed cumulatively rather than in incremental pieces.

Commissioners and staff discussed building height and transitions to adjacent single-family neighborhoods. Fred said the RMF zone applicable to most of the site has a default height of 55 feet while adjacent zones are generally 40 feet, and he noted code transition standards that require a stepped height transition where multifamily zones meet lower-density zones: \"We do not measure height at the property line. We measure it as the average of the grade within the walls of the building,\" he said, adding that code also applies a 2:1 slope transition standard at zone edges.

Public-comment materials and agency comments prompted several clarifications during the workshop. Fred said the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation requested a cultural-resources survey before disturbance in undisturbed areas and that the applicant had been engaging tribal partners. On water, the city water department and ICM indicated a possibility of a new water tower on city-owned property above the site or a piped corridor through the development; staff said those are possibilities to be studied rather than commitments.

Applicants signaled willingness to expedite review. Anthony Chang of Millennium Northwest, representing Excelsior, said the draft development-agreement terms are \"not a huge lift\" to review and described the document as short, and Mike Zannikar of Excelsior added that tenant and community service opportunities are dependent on advancing the agreement. Chang said staff had signaled the “boilerplate” city contract language would be standard and that the substantive terms are what commissioners would need to review.

After discussion about timing and the need for commissioners to receive materials early enough to review, the commission took a voice vote to move the Excelsior Wellness development agreement to a hearing; the motion passed by voice vote. Fred said staff will prepare a staff report with the draft agreement language, responses to comments, and the specific requirements identified in the ordinance and workshop, and indicated August 13 was a tentative hearing date if final details can be completed in time.

What the action does and does not do: the commission's vote moves the draft agreement to a formal public hearing and does not itself adopt the agreement. Fred reminded commissioners that the document will remain negotiable through the hearing phase and that final approval rests with city council. Fred said the development agreement will attach to the property and travel with it if ownership changes, and any significant deviation from the approved scope would prompt further analysis or a new approval process.

Next steps include finalizing draft language with the applicant, producing the staff report and making the draft materials available in the agenda packet before the hearing so commissioners and the public can review the requirements and proposed restrictions. Staff and the applicant told commissioners they will continue to coordinate on site-plan specifics, traffic and water analyses, cultural-resource surveys and any required easements or dedications that emerge from technical studies.

Ending: The commission scheduled a hearing slot tentatively for Aug. 13 if staff and the applicant can complete the draft language in time; otherwise staff said the item would move to the September hearing calendar. The commission and applicant agreed to share draft materials in advance so commissioners can review them before the public hearing.","After a workshop on a proposed development agreement for five Excelsior-owned parcels north of West Indian Trail, the Spokane Plan Commission voted to send the agreement to a public hearing, with staff and the applicant continuing negotiations on technical details including site plan, circulation, water and cultural-resource protections.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff reports housing allocation under HB 1220: Spokane must plan for about 22,359 new homes by 2046

Plan commission advances Excelsior wellness development agreement to hearing after staff workshop