Hearing examiner to decide on 38‑lot Maribot Townhomes preliminary plat after staff recommends approval

The Spokane Valley hearing examiner will issue a written decision within 10 working days on a preliminary plat application from Maribot Townhomes to divide about 15.18 acres into 38 lots for residential development.

Laurie Barlow, senior planner in the Community and Economic Development Department, presented the staff report on June 5, 2025 and said, "An application by Maribot Townhomes. This is for a 38 lot subdivision on approximately 15.18 acres." Barlow told the examiner the site is zoned R‑3, the proposal meets the city's density and lot‑size requirements, and a mitigated determination of non‑significance (MDNS) was issued on April 25 with a cultural resource survey condition.

The staff recommendation was approval with the conditions listed in the staff report. Barlow said development engineering and other service providers reviewed the project and "determined that all of those providers had capacity," and that recommended conditions from utilities, the fire district, schools and parks were included in the staff recommendation.

Members of the public testified about traffic and construction access on Buckeye Avenue. Stephen Talley, a nearby resident, said, "My main concern ... is the traffic on Buckeye," citing school buses, bicyclists and heavy construction vehicles. Debbie Hart, a precinct committee officer for Precinct 4454 who lives on East Buckeye, said residents worry about heavy trucks and recommended routing construction traffic to Euclid Avenue. Carolyn Coleman, a Barker‑Buckeye neighborhood resident, described afternoon congestion on Barker and asked where project vehicle access would be located.

Chad Riggs, development engineering manager, responded for the city and said the department would work with the developer and the construction inspector to minimize Buckeye access. "We will make a requirement for the construction entrance to be off of Euclid and not Buckeye," Riggs said, while noting he could not guarantee no access to Buckeye because some final improvements may require it.

The staff presentation listed required off‑site and frontage improvements as conditions of approval: widening and curb/gutter/swale/5‑foot sidewalk along Euclid Avenue; a 28‑foot asphalt section with gravel shoulder and v‑ditch on the east side of Hodges and curb/gutter/walk improvements on the west side; full improvements to internal streets; and approximately 6 feet of asphalt widening and a 10‑foot roadside swale on Buckeye with additional right‑of‑way dedication and a border easement. Barlow said one public comment had questioned corner‑lot dimensions, and development engineering determined the corner lots meet Spokane Valley standards.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing. Hearing examiner Andy Kotkamp admitted exhibits 1–19 into the record, heard testimony from staff, the applicant's agent and three members of the public, and closed the public record. Kotkamp said he had "no interest in the property or the proposal" and will issue a written decision within 10 working days of closing the record.

If approved, building permit review will address compliance with additional R‑3 development standards at the time of construction permits. Several aspects—detailed civil plans, final construction entrances, and exact phasing or timing of off‑site improvements—were described as matters to be resolved during the civil plan approval and construction inspection stages rather than at the preliminary plat hearing.

Key dates noted in the staff presentation: the city issued a completeness determination on Feb. 25, notices to adjacent owners and the environmental determination were posted in late February and April, the public hearing notices were mailed May 16 and posted on May 21, and the MDNS was issued April 25 (no appeal filed).