Residents urge caution over hillside development, cite fire, evacuation and wildlife concerns

Several residents of the Bella Lago neighborhood used the city’s public-comment period Tuesday to press the City Council and staff to scrutinize a proposed development above their homes, citing fire-safety, evacuation and wildlife concerns and what they described as poor communications with the developer.

"Some of the big overriding issues for our development is the fact that it's one of safety, particularly fire safety and the ability to vacate our neighborhood in a safe manner," said Dave Barker, who identified himself as "one of the many representatives of the Bella Lago Homeowners Association." Barker said the existing subdivision has about 16 lots and that the application before county or city review proposes roughly 21 additional lots.

That combination of lots would push the total over a threshold Barker and other residents cited from Spokane County’s 2018 road-construction standards that, residents said, require a second exit for residential developments exceeding 30 lots. "We'd like to have Lisa and her people consider the fact that there's a real significant safety issue," Barker said.

Lisa Willickson, who said she is from the same Bella Lago community, told the council she and other neighbors have been unable to get consistent answers from the developer and want the city to ensure basic infrastructure is in place before approvals proceed. "We feel like we've been...not communicating well with us," Willickson said, asking council members to consider fire mitigation, road capacity, water, schools and wildlife corridors.

Other neighbors described local conditions they say increase evacuation risk: a narrow, twisty county road with sharp corners, adjacent county park and event venues that fill on summer weekends and off-road vehicle and horse-trailer traffic that can clog the same route. "There's no way those campers are going to get out safely on a Saturday in August when that place is full while fire trucks are trying to come up," Willickson said.

Mike McDonald and James Mortimer, also Bella Lago residents, added that homeowners have invested privately in gating and cleanup of the neighborhood and that they have not been formally consulted about access, easements or potential separate homeowners associations the developer has discussed. "He's assuming he's gonna have his own HOA and have access to our property," McDonald said. Mortimer said the road is "steep and windy" and called the safety concern "not gonna be safe" for children and cyclists.

Residents also raised ecological concerns. Willickson said as many as 30 to 40 elk migrate through the area nightly during winter and that the development could disrupt that corridor. She also mentioned deer and turkey and asked regulators to consider wildlife access in any mitigation plan.

Council members and staff did not take formal action during the meeting; the remarks came during the public-comment portion. Barker told the council he had filed comments to the project’s SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) application and expected a public hearing later in the land-use process. The council did not announce any decision Tuesday; staff said there will be an opportunity for follow-up during the formal review and scheduled public hearings.

What happens next: residents said they have already submitted SEPA comments and expect a public hearing in the future. City staff and county reviewers will determine whether the proposal meets county and city standards and whether additional mitigation or a second exit will be required under applicable road-construction standards.

For now, Bella Lago speakers asked the council to prioritize safety and infrastructure before approvals and for clearer communication between neighbors, developer representatives and city staff.