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Park advisory board backs recommendation to update Airway Heights parks master plan, lists multi-year projects
Summary
The Park Advisory Board approved Resolution PB25-03 recommending City Council adopt updates to Section VI of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan to reflect OFM population and housing forecasts; staff presented six- and 20-year capital project lists including a $10 million Phase 2 expansion and multiple neighborhood parks.
The Airway Heights Park Advisory Board on Sept. 4 voted to recommend that the City Council adopt updates to Section VI of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan to reflect state population and housing forecasts used for the 2026 Comprehensive Plan. Parks & Recreation Director J.C. Kennedy presented the update and a list of proposed capital projects covering six- and 20-year horizons.
The board’s action approved Resolution PB25-03, which the staff presented as "A Park Advisory Board recommendation of approval to the City Council of the City of Airway Heights in the matter relating to the update to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan Section VI reflecting updates to population and housing forecasts for the 2026 Comprehensive Plan." Mr. Webb moved to approve the resolution; Mr. Mitchell seconded and the board approved it.
Kennedy told the board that the planning department and consultants Framework and ECO Northwest supplied the population and housing allocation figures the city must plan for. He said staff used Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) numbers and county assignments to build Table 1.1, the year-by-year population forecast for 2026–2046, and that staff excluded the Airway Heights Corrections Center incarcerated population (2,258) from park demand calculations because that population does not affect city park infrastructure needs.
Kennedy said he consulted the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) about whether nearby assets such as the Spokane County ORV Park should be counted in the city’s level-of-service (LOS) analysis. According to Kennedy, Nick Norton, Policy and Planning Specialist at RCO, advised that "Typically, most cities will only include property that they own and/or manage in the more detailed considerations regarding available facilities," but that many master plans also list surrounding recreational assets and consider them in spatial gap analyses. Kennedy said he adjusted the LOS and population forecast inputs after that guidance.
The board reviewed specific projects and estimated costs in Table 6.5 for the next six years and Table 6.6 for the 20-year outlook. Notable near-term projects include the Airway Heights Recreation Complex parking expansion and ballfield fencing/dugout improvements (2026, $397,000, local funding) and Sunset Park pathway reconstruction and ADA improvements (2026, $175,000, local funding). Longer-term items include Recreation Center Phase 2 — described as child watch, youth space, and child care expansion — estimated at $10,000,000 in 2035, and Recreation Center Phase 3 indoor court expansion estimated at $5,500,000 in 2045; other neighborhood park developments, maintenance buildings, and equipment purchases were also listed with timing and likely funding sources (local, developer contributions, RCO/state grants, or in-kind).
Kennedy said the full update to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan will begin in 2026 and that changes emerging from that work can be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan on an annual basis as needed. The board’s recommendation sends the Section VI updates and project lists on to the City Council for consideration.
