At our monthly neighborhood council meeting on November 12th we received a presentation on the proposed 44th Avenue Water Main and Trail project. We were very happy to have about 70 neighbors show up to get information from the city engineering staff and discuss the proposed implementation of a portion of the Southgate Neighborhood Transportation and Connectivity Plan.

The City has created a Blog Post to provide information on the project and get feedback from neighbors. SNC has created a project page as well to provide project updates and continue the conversation started yesterday.

Thank you again to all who attended the meeting, I hope we will continue to get your input and comments as we work with the city. Please leave us comments here or on the project page. We look forward to seeing you at the next SNC meeting.

Next year the east side of the Southgate Neighborhood is going to be the site of some pretty major road work. The city is going to be replacing a 36-inch water main in Havana Street from 37th Ave. to the water towers on Glenrose Rd.

You can find the details on the city’s site here.

The city is using their new integrated maintenance policy to repave the road and install continuous sidewalks from 37th Ave. to the city line. Other improvements will be bike lanes, storm water drainage improvements, and an experimental section of pervious pavement.

At an initial meeting with city staff in July, SNC officers and members of the Land Use Committee suggested this project could be an opportunity to complete the bike/pedestrian connection along 44th Avenue outlined in the Southgate Neighborhood Connectivity Plan. The city said they would look into it, but that the current scope of the project was related to work along the Havana Street right-of-way.

A couple of weeks ago, the city contacted the Southgate Neighborhood Council to say the newest design for the Havana project included the completion of a 12-foot multi-use trail between Havana Street and Freya Street…because the city needs to put in a 12-inch water main between Freya Street and Myrtle Street so the neighborhoods to the north of 44th don’t lose their water service during the construction on Havana. A notification letter was sent to property owners along the west side of 44th Avenue (from Freya to Julia Ct.) outlining some of the initial work to be done this fall.

The development of this trail will continue the completion of a much needed east/west connection in our neighborhood (outlined in our neighborhood Connectivity Plan), allowing residents east of Freya to more safely and easily access the businesses along Regal Street and the developing Southgate District Center. A representative from the city’s Engineering Department will be attending our neighborhood meeting on November 12th to discuss the immediate steps to install part of the 12-inch water main before the ground freezes this fall.

I encourage you to look over the plans the city has shared for Havana Street and come hear about the plans to create another bike/ped connection outlined in our neighborhood’s plan.

SNC representatives had the opportunity to attend the Ribbon Cutting at the new South Hill Target and do a quick preview before the soft opening tomorrow. So what follows is a quick photo tour of the new store.

Dave Black had a couple of announcements about new confirmed tenants and timelines for work on the exterior pads. First was the announcement that Pad A next to Target will contain Spokane’s first Mod Pizza (a regional chain based in Seattle), a Sally Beauty Supply, and haircut shop (probably a SuperCuts).  He also said he has 5 other letters of intent for other spots on the property.

Anthony’s Beach Cafe just got its permits last Friday and will begin construction immediately in one of the spots adjacent to the Community Plaza near Regal. Speaking of which,  the Community Plaza will also be worked on through the rest of the summer. We will certainly keep people up to date on the progress here and through the Southgate District Center Facebook page.

Now for the store interior:

Some points of interest on the exterior:

So that’s the quick look. If you have been inside the Northside Target in the last year or so many of the store fixtures and features will seem familiar, the size of the place is what really gets you. Check it out for yourself, the Soft Opening begins Wednesday morning at 8am. The staff is there and very friendly and helpful.

Earlier this month, the Riverfront Park Master Plan was revealed to the public and now the city is collecting public comments via email and in person at public meetings happening in May and early June.

A schedule of upcoming meetings can be found here: http://riverfrontparkmasterplan.org/events/upcoming/

You can look at the plan on the web here: http://riverfrontparkmasterplan.org/

Comments can be sent to: http://riverfrontparkmasterplan.org/contact/

The City of Spokane also announced a plan for paying for the Riverfront Park update by refinancing some existing bonds and extending them. They are holding some information meetings in May on this as well, details can be found in this news release here: https://beta.spokanecity.org/news/releases/2014/05/06/learn-about-city-of-spokane-streets-parks-funding-proposal/