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Division Street TOD plan narrows focus to select station-area nodes after community engagement
Summary
Project leads told the Plan Commission that Division Street station-area planning will prioritize a small set of nodes (South Couplet, Rowan, Francis & Lyons, and Whitworth/Northgate in county) for detailed concept planning, drawing on community outreach, technical analysis and coordination with agencies and landowners.
Colin Windhurst, project lead for the Division Street transit-oriented development (TOD) plan, updated the Spokane Plan Commission on June 11 about node selection and community engagement and said the team will produce draft station-area concepts for selected nodes by September.
Windhurst described outreach that engaged 435 people through a map-based questionnaire, pop‑ups, an open house and advisory committees. He said the top community priorities were mixed‑use infill, improved mobility and accessible public spaces; parks and open space rated highly as desired land uses. "We engaged with about 435 people," Windhurst said, describing the mix of online and in‑person input.
Staff and consultants used an existing‑conditions analysis (vacant/redevelopable land, parcel sizes, ownership patterns, demographics and transit dependence) together with engagement results to prioritize where to focus limited consultant resources. The recommended city nodes for focused concept planning include South Couplet (adjacent to downtown), Rowan (near Franklin Park) and Francis & Lyons (major commercial intersection) because those areas show higher potential for incremental change and have diverse parcel ownership that could enable redevelopment. Northtown drew strong community interest but is largely held by a single major landowner, staff said, which limits the city’s ability to influence outcomes there through small-scale interventions.
Windhurst said county partners identified Whitworth and Northgate (near Farwell Road/Carnation and new development areas) as priority nodes within county jurisdiction. He said the team intends to take lessons from the detailed concepts at the selected nodes and translate them into TOD policy and code recommendations applicable corridor‑wide.
The outreach identified preferred walking improvements (street trees, wider sidewalks and safer crossings), bicycle improvements (separated or continuous facilities and better connections) and transit improvements (signal synchronization and station-area amenities). Windhurst said ADA accessibility and low‑impact/sustainable development were part of the project goals and that consultants will draft station concepts this summer with further public review in August and September.
Windhurst said the team will return with draft concepts and that the project website includes existing‑conditions and engagement reports. He emphasized coordination with city investments and with agencies such as SRTC, SDA and county planning staff, and noted a technical advisory committee and community advisory committee have been meeting to shape work products.
