STA presents Argonne Station plan to Spokane Valley council; designers limit property impacts, propose 40‑space park‑and‑ride

Spokane Transit Authority officials presented the Argonne Station Park‑and‑Ride and transit node plan to the Spokane Valley City Council on June 15, describing the project purpose, alternatives analysis and a revised design that avoids acquiring the adjacent Casa de Oro restaurant property.

STA Interim CEO Carl Otterstrom and Capital Development Director Dan Wells said the project is part of STA’s I‑90 Valley Corridor plan and is intended to create a transit node that improves north‑south and freeway connections for Valley riders. Dan Wells said the new Route 7 high‑performance corridor launching in September will benefit from the node and that the facility will help create one‑seat rides from Liberty Lake to the airport.

Wells and project staff said the preferred site is a washed‑out piece of Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) limited‑access right‑of‑way between Argonne and Mullen north of Mission. STA staff said they revised earlier concepts after public feedback and no longer propose taking the adjacent restaurant property. The presenters described a looped layout with separate entrances for customers and operations, three bus bays inside the facility, a flyer stop on the freeway ramp, and space for about 40 parking stalls. The design includes conduit and electrical room sizing to allow future bus charging on site.

STA said the project budget is $13,000,000, funded by a mix of federal, state and local monies; STA staff said the local share would come from STA sales‑tax revenue. The agency said it must complete environmental review before finalizing federal agreements.

Council members and public commenters asked about parking demand, modeling and potential side effects. Council Member Al Merkel questioned ridership and parking projections, noting Mirabeau Transit Center peak parking use cited in prior materials was much lower than the capacity built there; STA staff said park‑and‑ride demand forecasts used data from 2021–2022 and acknowledged uncertainty in modeling but said the facility serves multiple functions — park‑and‑ride, pedestrian access, and an operational hub for operators’ breaks and connections.

Council Member Merkel also asked whether the design could attract camping or encampment activity in green spaces; STA said they have not seen chronic camping at other STA park‑and‑ride properties and that STA works with law enforcement and property operators to address incidents. Residents urged STA to study adverse local impacts and mitigation strategies; others on council praised the connectivity and potential to support local economic corridors.

STA staff said preliminary counts indicate the near‑term operation would see about 8–12 buses per hour serving the facility when in full use, and that the agency anticipates up to 30% of parking could be EV charging spaces as required by state code. STA noted earlier public outreach, technical advisory committee involvement and coordination with WSDOT and FHWA on signals and intersection impacts.

The council took no formal vote on the presentation but asked staff to continue coordination. Council members and staff emphasized they expect STA to continue refining traffic impact analyses, mitigation measures and interagency coordination before any property acquisition or construction agreement.