The Spokane Plan Commission on July 23 voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt revisions to the city's addressing code intended to reduce barriers to infill development and to improve clarity for emergency responders.

Commissioners and staff said the proposed amendments clarify that definitions in the addressing chapter apply only to addressing, create alternatives for assigning addresses where numeric slots are insufficient, and give the addressing administrator authority to name traveled ways where access is constrained. The commission adopted language allowing a letter suffix to be appended to an address (for example, "118A") and explicitly making readdressing of nearby parcels permissible only "if no other feasible option is available." The changes also preserve a strong preference not to change existing addresses except as a last resort.

The code changes were presented by Director Spencer Gardner, who told the commission staff had worked with the city addressing administrator and regional partners including Spokane Fire, Spokane Police and the regional emergency communications center to make the revisions consistent with regional addressing standards. Gardner said the primary purpose of the addressing code is to facilitate prompt emergency response, to regulate display of numbers, and to provide a systematic way to identify property.

Public testimony both supported and questioned parts of the proposal. Several residents from the Ash Place neighborhood, including Dennis Flynn and Don McIntyre, said the underlying development issues in their area exposed problems in administration and urged caution about giving unfettered discretion to administrators. Developers and infill builders such as Jim Frank and Randy Palazzo described situations where applicants were delayed because staff required neighboring property owners to change their addresses, and argued that appended letters are a practical long-term fix to avoid asking neighbors to renumber.

Commission discussion focused on two tensions: (1) maintaining consistency with regional standards used by emergency communications, which generally avoid letter suffixes and favor unit and multiunit conventions; and (2) preventing a policy that would allow administrators to reorder existing addresses without strong constraints. Commissioners amended staff language to add an explicit option for a letter suffix and to make readdressing a last resort. Commissioners also debated whether "minor deviations" referenced in the code should be further defined; staff said the code does not currently include a specific definition and that practice relies in part on the plain-English interpretation of "minor." The commission declined to require City Council approval of routine deviations from literal compliance, noting that other regional jurisdictions delegate that authority administratively.

On the motion to recommend the addressing changes to City Council, roll call produced unanimous approval of commissioners present.

The commission packet and staff presentation cite the Spokane Municipal Code and the city's comprehensive plan as the policy context for the revision; staff also referenced coordination with the regional emergency communications standards. The record before the commission includes public comment and a city-commissioned wetland study that residents cited during testimony related to separate development approvals in the Ash Place area.

The commission's recommendation will go to Spokane City Council for final action; staff said the changes are intended to remove a barrier that has delayed plats and other infill applications while keeping emergency-responder legibility central to addressing decisions.