[Record note: This comment was emailed to the City and shared with Spokane2046.com for publication.]
[PDF page 1 of 3]
Hi Kevin:
Hope you’re having a good afternoon. As a quick refresher Brian here, and we crossed paths when you spoke to my SNLA cohort earlier this spring. I appreciate you carving out the time to do that, and more recently I’ve noted your efforts with the Spokane County Emergency Ops Center during the fires. I greatly appreciate those efforts as well and thanks for all you've done for our community in this tumultuous time.
I wanted to reach out and provide my comments to the PlanSpokane 2046 Future Land Use Map, as I have some concerns specifically relating to the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood and how it’s being defined largely as a “Residential Low Density” area for development. As I review the growth strategy chapter’s definition of “Residential Low Density", I see RL is defined as "Primarily residential in nature, single-unit and middle housing types are expected everywhere within the Residential Low Designation. It is essential that a full range of housing types be available, ensuring a diversity of housing scale, tenure, and affordability throughout the city and limiting large homogenous areas of a single housing type.”
- I’m sure you’re aware of that definition now like the back of your hand, but figured I’d include it for quick reference.
To speak directly to the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood, as you likely heard last year, the failed DNR Thorpe Rd parcel swap with Blue Fern LLC was met with intense community backlash, and there was a direct effort by local stakeholders with Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove to ensure that better agency transparency and ethics were practices related to land conservation within the Trust Land Transfer Program. I’m happy to share that earlier this week, the DNR announced that Thorpe is now well within their TLT funding range for this upcoming biennium, meaning there’s a very high likelihood that this parcel will get conserved for open space. I'm pleased to see that this Thorpe Parcel is defined in this proposed 2046 FLUM as open space in Grandview-Thorpe, which I wholeheartedly agree with that designation. Given the vast public support (attached LOS list below) of the Thorpe parcel's desire to be preserved as open space, it shows loud and clear that the community would much rather see open space in this general area as opposed to unsustainable and unsafe development.
Here's where I begin to get concerned - as I look at the map of Grandview-Thorpe, I begin to grow weary that there's a disconnect between planning designations of this density, and tangible evidence suggesting that further RL or RH development in this corridor is misaligned with conservation goals and safety concerns.
For starters, while perusing the City of Spokane's adopted Parks and Natural Lands Master Plan (2022), I see that the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood is nearly fully within a Special Habitat Conservation Zone (map attached). This is explicitly defined in the Master Plan (pg 249) as "the analysis also highlights the Little Spokane River corridor (north side of Spokane) and the Latah Valley corridor (southwest Spokane) as Special Habitat Conservation Zones that prioritize connectivity and riparian habitat areas. These are areas recommended by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as top priority habitat and connectivity needs.".
My question to you and the planning department is simple: How can neighborhoods such as Grandview-Thorpe and Latah/Hangman in this current FLUM have so many RL and RH designations, when essentially both of the entire neighborhoods are within this Special Habitat Conservation Zone?
[PDF page 2 of 3]
My concern only grows as to the planning department's adherence to documents such as this master plan, particularly as I understand that recent developments like the Latah Glen parcel (located in the Latah/Hangman neighborhood) has recently been cleared for development of nearly every single ponderosa pine and other native habitat type and lies similarly smack dab in the middle of this special habitat conservation zone. Again, my question remains - why is the planning department seemingly encouraging this sort of development A) in the SHCZ, and B) clearly without the oversight to adhere to city documents like the Parks Master Plan that call for better habitat conservation? When will the oversight begin? I see that even now, there's currently a Preliminary Long Plat (Z25-631PPLT) in the Grandview-Thorpe area that is currently seeking SEPA comment, and I don't see a shred of evidence suggesting that the planning department cares about this SHCZ designation of this corridor.
So why do I care so much about this corridor? Well, as we've seen, there's an immense safety concern given the bottlenecked road infrastructure, so much so that the city has conducted several Wildfire Evacuation Drills for this neighborhood, a fact that is very much now something I'm acutely concerned about for this corridor, in light of the recent fires. If we continue to incentivize frivolous development in an area like Grandview-Thorpe, within the Wildland-Urban Interface, I think that will only continue to be an increased safety risk given the key safety bottlenecks present such as the minimal roads in and out of the neighborhood, the antiquated Thorpe tunnels, etc.
Finally, for my last bit of context to share relating to my concern of this corridor, relates to the recently published Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan (WAHCAP). Within this report, there's explicit evidence that a part of 195 through the Grandview-Thorpe and Latah-Hangman neighborhoods contain a Transportation Priority Zone (long-list). This is defined in the document as "Transportation Priority Zones (..) each representing a contiguous stretch of highway longer than one mile—identified by an OHSA which aggregated high Ecological Value or Wildlife-related Safety scores (Figure 10, pg 51)." So in addition to Grandview-Thorpe's inclusion in the WDFW SHCZ and explicitly shown to have a WAHCAP Transportation Priority Zone, this further strengthens my concern that, under the proposed 2046 FLUM, this RL and RH zoning must be re-evaluated to better reflect habitat conservation and wildlife migration zones, as well as traffic safety.
I appreciate the ability to comment on this FLUM, and I make these comments out of a deep passion for seeing members of our Spokane community, both human and wildlife, be better protected from rampant developments in critical habitat areas.
With gratitude,
Brian
[The submitted comment includes a PlanSpokane map of Grandview-Thorpe.]
Brian Antonio Muegge (Pronounced "MEG-e")
[PDF page 3 of 3]
Gonzaga University 16' - Go Zags!
[Personal contact details omitted from the reading text.]
[The forwarded record includes a list of 46 organizations, businesses, elected officials, and individuals supporting the Thorpe Trust Land Transfer, and lists three attachments: 2022 Priority Conservation Zones.pdf; Thorpe Trust Land Transfer Supporter List 041526 (1).pdf; and WAHCAP MAP.pdf.]
Brian Muegge
Aug 26, 2026
Local Resident
[Record note: This comment was emailed to the City and shared with Spokane2046.com for publication.]
[PDF page 1 of 3]
Hi Kevin:
Hope you’re having a good afternoon. As a quick refresher Brian here, and we crossed paths when you spoke to my SNLA cohort earlier this spring. I appreciate you carving out the time to do that, and more recently I’ve noted your efforts with the Spokane County Emergency Ops Center during the fires. I greatly appreciate those efforts as well and thanks for all you've done for our community in this tumultuous time.
I wanted to reach out and provide my comments to the PlanSpokane 2046 Future Land Use Map, as I have some concerns specifically relating to the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood and how it’s being defined largely as a “Residential Low Density” area for development. As I review the growth strategy chapter’s definition of “Residential Low Density", I see RL is defined as "Primarily residential in nature, single-unit and middle housing types are expected everywhere within the Residential Low Designation. It is essential that a full range of housing types be available, ensuring a diversity of housing scale, tenure, and affordability throughout the city and limiting large homogenous areas of a single housing type.”
- I’m sure you’re aware of that definition now like the back of your hand, but figured I’d include it for quick reference.
To speak directly to the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood, as you likely heard last year, the failed DNR Thorpe Rd parcel swap with Blue Fern LLC was met with intense community backlash, and there was a direct effort by local stakeholders with Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove to ensure that better agency transparency and ethics were practices related to land conservation within the Trust Land Transfer Program. I’m happy to share that earlier this week, the DNR announced that Thorpe is now well within their TLT funding range for this upcoming biennium, meaning there’s a very high likelihood that this parcel will get conserved for open space. I'm pleased to see that this Thorpe Parcel is defined in this proposed 2046 FLUM as open space in Grandview-Thorpe, which I wholeheartedly agree with that designation. Given the vast public support (attached LOS list below) of the Thorpe parcel's desire to be preserved as open space, it shows loud and clear that the community would much rather see open space in this general area as opposed to unsustainable and unsafe development.
Here's where I begin to get concerned - as I look at the map of Grandview-Thorpe, I begin to grow weary that there's a disconnect between planning designations of this density, and tangible evidence suggesting that further RL or RH development in this corridor is misaligned with conservation goals and safety concerns.
For starters, while perusing the City of Spokane's adopted Parks and Natural Lands Master Plan (2022), I see that the Grandview-Thorpe neighborhood is nearly fully within a Special Habitat Conservation Zone (map attached). This is explicitly defined in the Master Plan (pg 249) as "the analysis also highlights the Little Spokane River corridor (north side of Spokane) and the Latah Valley corridor (southwest Spokane) as Special Habitat Conservation Zones that prioritize connectivity and riparian habitat areas. These are areas recommended by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as top priority habitat and connectivity needs.".
My question to you and the planning department is simple: How can neighborhoods such as Grandview-Thorpe and Latah/Hangman in this current FLUM have so many RL and RH designations, when essentially both of the entire neighborhoods are within this Special Habitat Conservation Zone?
[PDF page 2 of 3]
My concern only grows as to the planning department's adherence to documents such as this master plan, particularly as I understand that recent developments like the Latah Glen parcel (located in the Latah/Hangman neighborhood) has recently been cleared for development of nearly every single ponderosa pine and other native habitat type and lies similarly smack dab in the middle of this special habitat conservation zone. Again, my question remains - why is the planning department seemingly encouraging this sort of development A) in the SHCZ, and B) clearly without the oversight to adhere to city documents like the Parks Master Plan that call for better habitat conservation? When will the oversight begin? I see that even now, there's currently a Preliminary Long Plat (Z25-631PPLT) in the Grandview-Thorpe area that is currently seeking SEPA comment, and I don't see a shred of evidence suggesting that the planning department cares about this SHCZ designation of this corridor.
So why do I care so much about this corridor? Well, as we've seen, there's an immense safety concern given the bottlenecked road infrastructure, so much so that the city has conducted several Wildfire Evacuation Drills for this neighborhood, a fact that is very much now something I'm acutely concerned about for this corridor, in light of the recent fires. If we continue to incentivize frivolous development in an area like Grandview-Thorpe, within the Wildland-Urban Interface, I think that will only continue to be an increased safety risk given the key safety bottlenecks present such as the minimal roads in and out of the neighborhood, the antiquated Thorpe tunnels, etc.
Finally, for my last bit of context to share relating to my concern of this corridor, relates to the recently published Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan (WAHCAP). Within this report, there's explicit evidence that a part of 195 through the Grandview-Thorpe and Latah-Hangman neighborhoods contain a Transportation Priority Zone (long-list). This is defined in the document as "Transportation Priority Zones (..) each representing a contiguous stretch of highway longer than one mile—identified by an OHSA which aggregated high Ecological Value or Wildlife-related Safety scores (Figure 10, pg 51)." So in addition to Grandview-Thorpe's inclusion in the WDFW SHCZ and explicitly shown to have a WAHCAP Transportation Priority Zone, this further strengthens my concern that, under the proposed 2046 FLUM, this RL and RH zoning must be re-evaluated to better reflect habitat conservation and wildlife migration zones, as well as traffic safety.
I appreciate the ability to comment on this FLUM, and I make these comments out of a deep passion for seeing members of our Spokane community, both human and wildlife, be better protected from rampant developments in critical habitat areas.
With gratitude,
Brian
[The submitted comment includes a PlanSpokane map of Grandview-Thorpe.]
Brian Antonio Muegge (Pronounced "MEG-e")
[PDF page 3 of 3]
Gonzaga University 16' - Go Zags!
[Personal contact details omitted from the reading text.]
[The forwarded record includes a list of 46 organizations, businesses, elected officials, and individuals supporting the Thorpe Trust Land Transfer, and lists three attachments: 2022 Priority Conservation Zones.pdf; Thorpe Trust Land Transfer Supporter List 041526 (1).pdf; and WAHCAP MAP.pdf.]