Alex Dupey, a consultant with the architecture and planning firm MIG, presented a midproject update on Division Street transit-oriented development planning to the Spokane County Planning Commission on Oct. 2. The project is a multi-jurisdictional effort with the City of Spokane and Spokane Transit Authority (STA) to shape land use and multimodal improvements around planned bus-rapid-transit stations.

The presentation sketched concepts for five station-area “nodes” along Division Street and focused on the two nodes located in unincorporated Spokane County: Whitworth and Northgate. Dupey said the team is about three-quarters of the way through the planning process and expects to reach a draft plan stage in early 2026. “Our goal for this process is to be wrapped up, early 20 26,” Dupey said.

Dupey told commissioners the work started in late 2024 and has included community kickoffs, pop-ups, surveys and technical advisory meetings. The team has developed themes — affordability, mixed use, multimodal access — and is analyzing financial feasibility by housing and building type. He said townhomes and attached housing are generally feasible across the corridor; podium-style mixed-use buildings (ground-floor commercial with housing above) are unlikely outside the Gonzaga or downtown area but could be feasible near the university.

Scott Chesney, representing county planning staff, introduced the consultant and framed the project as relevant to the county’s ongoing comprehensive-plan work. Commissioners asked for the rationale behind selecting the Whitworth node rather than a closely discussed alternative (the “Y”). Dupey said Whitworth offered better opportunities for redevelopment and a more manageable street network, while the Y node contains auto-oriented uses — notably dealerships and highway ramps — that would be harder to transition to walkable development.

On the Whitworth concepts, Dupey said the team is studying vacant and potentially redevelopable parcels, laying out phased concepts that emphasize townhomes, garden-style multifamily, and limited locations for mixed-use; the designs assume roughly a quarter-mile walk shed around station sites. For Northgate, Dupey noted the area does not yet have a dedicated bus-rapid-transit station but does include a planned park-and-ride near Newport; the presentation showed vacant and redevelopment parcels and noted coordination with a large medical campus (MultiCare) in the area.

Dupey outlined multimodal recommendations as short-, medium- and long-term actions tied to existing capital projects (for example, Division Connect and WSDOT’s Complete Streets work). He said the team is building three-dimensional models and will produce specific land-use and urban-design recommendations in the next phase; a public open house was scheduled for Oct. 22.

Commissioners and staff raised questions about where denser or mixed-use building forms would be feasible and how development could be staged so that private investment responds to multimodal improvements. Chesney confirmed county planning coordination with city staff and agencies and said the project’s recommendations were broadly consistent with proposed county “neighborhood commercial” and mixed-use development standards under review.

The presentation closed with an invitation to the Oct. 22 open house and a reminder that the consultant will return to county and city advisory groups as the plan advances.

Ending: The Division Street TOD work is still in concept phase for county nodes. MIG and county staff emphasized a phased, place-based approach tied to transit, with further technical analysis and public outreach scheduled through early 2026. The public open house on Oct. 22 and additional advisory meetings will be the next opportunities for detailed comment and refinement.