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Spokane County delays Sylvan Addition vacation after neighbors raise access concerns; approves three other road vacations
Summary
The Spokane County Board of County Commissioners approved three right-of-way vacations May 5, 2026, and unanimously deferred a fourth — the Sylvan Addition/Meadow Lake request — for one week after neighbors and staff debated whether the vacation could limit farm access.
The Spokane County Board of County Commissioners on May 5 approved three proposed right-of-way vacations and unanimously postponed final action on a fourth after public testimony raised concerns about access for adjacent landowners.
Madam Chair opened the public hearing on item 7c, a request to vacate multiple platted rights-of-way in the Sylvan Addition to Meadow Lake. County Road Engineer Matt Saricard told the board the platted rights-of-way are often only 15 feet wide, cross wetland and pond areas, and in many places are not viable for road construction. He said the petitioning owner holds much of the affected land and that properties to the south have alternate public access points to Silver Lake Road and Clear Lake Road.
Steven McCray, a family landowner on the south side of I‑90, testified that vacating the rights-of-way without assurances could further restrict access to their 640‑acre farm. “We have had increasing pressure on our farm over the last 60 years,” McCray said. He described existing access that requires driving through a private road and over a main pipeline and said the family was still recovering from the Gray Road Fire.
The applicant’s attorney, Elizabeth Tullison of Winston and Koschei, representing the petitioner, asked the board to approve the vacation and said there is no platted right-of-way connectivity south of I‑90; she urged affected parties to contact her client to discuss private access. “There isn’t any connectivity to the south for any of these platted roads beyond I‑90,” Tullison said.
Commissioners pressed staff on whether the board could condition the vacation to preserve future access for the properties to the south. Saricard said it is sometimes possible to require dedication of right-of-way when an imminent urban plat is expected, but he did not recommend a condition here because the southern owners already have multiple public access points and the area is heavily constrained by wetlands. After additional questions and noting written comments, the board voted unanimously to defer final action on item 7c for one week (decision only), with the matter to return on May 12.
Separately, the board approved three other public‑hearing vacation items by voice vote. The panel approved the Belmont Road Extension and Darnell Road vacation (item 7a) after Saricard told commissioners the routes had never been built or certified and that adjacent parcels have alternate access. The board also approved the Lakeview Boulevard vacation in West Spokane (item 7b) after petitioner Eric Sletten, who said he owns the adjacent parcel, told the board the change would allow him to move forward with limited development plans. “Our goal is to build out on our parcel,” Sletten said. Finally, the board approved the Trevor Road vacation requested by Northwest Christian School (item 7d); school representatives said the vacation would allow expanded playground space while retaining other access.
All four actions were handled during the same meeting; three were approved by unanimous voice vote and one (7c) was postponed for decision at the next meeting. The board also announced it would enter an executive session later the same day on potential litigation and a separate closed session on labor negotiations, with no action expected.
The board is scheduled to revisit item 7c on May 12 for final action.
