Has Spokane tested evacuation capacity before adding more density?

After evacuating during the Spokane Complex fires, Coppen describes traffic from Nine Mile, Assembly, Indian Trail, Five Mile, and Francis. His question is concrete: before adding housing capacity, has the City tested whether evacuation routes can carry it?

Public Safety · Chris Coppen, Northwest Terrace resident

“My concern is that the comp plan seems to look for increased density and housing on Assembly, and in a time of public safety with greater congestion, that could risk lives.”

Clip transcript

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.GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I DO HAVE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE PROPOSED COMP PLAN BUT FROM A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE AND THAT IS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. I AM A SOCIAL WORKER. I'M A SPOKANE RESIDENT HOMEOWNER IN THE NORTHWEST TERRACE NEIGHBORHOOD WHICH WAS WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE RIFLE CLUB. I HAD AREA THAT WAS DEVASTATED AND I AND ALL MY NEIGHBORS WERE EVACUATED THAT SATURDAY AFTERNOON. I AND LAW ENFORCEMENT WERE ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR IN PROTECTING PUBLIC SAFETY, DIVERTING TRAFFIC AND DIRECTING TRAFFIC IN WHAT WAS CLEARLY A HIGH STRESSFUL AND TENSE AND TERRIFYING MOMENT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. ALL THE TRAFFIC FROM NINE MILE ROAD WAS DIVERTED EAST ALONG FRANCES. THE OTHER WAY TO GET INTO THE CITY IS SOUTH ALONG ASSEMBLY PASSED DWIGHT MIRACLE IN THE VA BUT THAT ROUTE WAS BLOCKED BECAUSE OF FIRE ACTIVITY IN DWIGHT MIRACLE. SO ALL THE TRAFFIC FROM NINE MILE WENT EAST ALONG FRANCES. AND IT WAS JOINED WITH TRAFFIC COMING UP NORTH AND THEN FROM ASSEMBLY THERE AN INDIAN TRAIL AND THAT DEVASTATED AREA AND THEN FIVE MILE PRAIRIE ALL GOING DOWN TWO LANES ON EAST FRANCIS AND AGAIN HIGHWAY LEE'S STRESSFUL TENSE TIME AND SOME FOLKS WENT DOWN THE WRONG WAY PROBABLY OUT OF FEAR. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE COMP PLAN SEEMS TO LOOK FOR INCREASED DENSITY AND HOUSING ON ASSEMBLY AND IN A TIME OF PUBLIC SAFETY WITH GREATER CONGESTION THAT COULD THAT COULD RISK LIVES. MY TIME'S ABOUT TURN OUT AND WHAT I'M SAYING ABOUT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD COULD APPLY TO OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE DENSITY COULD INCREASE SO PUBLIC SAFETY RELATED TO DENSITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CHRISTOPHER