Planning commission approves findings to vacate small alley off Appleway, forwards item to city council

The Spokane Valley Planning Commission on April 10 approved findings of fact for a privately initiated street vacation request to vacate a small alley segment that extends north from Appleway Avenue and forwarded the item to the City Council for consideration.

Laurie Barlow, City staff presenting the item, told commissioners the document before them formalized the actions and considerations from prior meetings. "My name is Laurie Barlow, and I'm here tonight to present the findings of facts for the privately initiated street vacation request to vacate a small segment of alley that extends north from Appleway Avenue," she said. Barlow said the item had previously been before the commission as a study session and at a public hearing, and that the commission had earlier voted to recommend approval to council.

The vote on April 10 was unanimous among the five commissioners present. Vice Chair Robertson, Commissioners Weatherman, Meyer, Kelly and Winkler voted in favor; Chairmen McKinley and Wilson were absent and their absences were approved earlier in the meeting. The commission’s action on the findings of fact sends the matter to the City Council, where Barlow said the Council’s review will begin with a study session and — if moved forward — proceed through first and second readings of an ordinance.

During the discussion that followed the vote, Commissioner Winkler asked whether the city could establish a streamlined process for routine right-of-way vacations that are clearly of no public value. A staff member identified in the meeting as Tony responded that state law and the city code require public notice and allow for public objection, and that only limited statutory provisions permit automatic vacating without the standard initiation and notice process. "There are statutes that require us to go through this process in our code," Tony said, noting that the public-notice requirement is a key reason the standard process is followed.

The commission record shows the commission previously voted 7–0 at an earlier hearing to recommend approval to council; the April 10 action approved the findings of fact that formalize that recommendation. The exact file identifier for the request was referred to inconsistently in the meeting transcript (appearing as both "STV 02/2001" and "STV 2025-001"); the item was described in the meeting as a privately initiated street vacation for a small alley north of Appleway Avenue. The transcript did not specify the physical length of the alley segment or the property owner seeking the vacation.

The commission asked staff to forward the approved findings of fact and supporting documents to City Council for its consideration and ordinance process. No formal amendments or conditions to the staff-recommended findings were made during the April 10 vote.