Spokane Valley City Council Special Meeting Workshop: CenterPlace, ATP, and Comp Plan – September 1, 2026

The Spokane Valley City Council met in special session at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at City Hall in Spokane Valley, Washington, in a workshop/roundtable format with no formal public comment. Mayor Padden presided; the roll was called, the agenda was approved by voice vote, and Councilmember Merkel noted that residents had asked about the special-meeting time and lack of public comment. Staff explained the format was an established workshop format for round-table discussion.

The council discussed three reports: CenterPlace, the Active Transportation Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan, including Spokane County's UGA expansion proposal. After the first two discussions, the council took a short break around 7:25 p.m. before returning for the Comprehensive Plan/UGA item and then adjourning.

CenterPlace Discussion

• Parks and Recreation Director John Bottelli and CenterPlace Coordinator Nicole Ulmer presented CenterPlace's history, operations, current performance, and future decisions. CenterPlace originated from a 1990s nonprofit effort on donated Mirabeau Point land; a 2002 voter-approved countywide bond included a $7 million allocation for the project, with total estimated construction costs around $10 million funded by bonds, grants, and donations.
• The city issued roughly $9.5 million in general obligation bonds, including road improvements; about $2,145,000 remains outstanding, with final payment scheduled for 2033. Finance Director Chelsea said the average interest rate is approximately 3.5%. A public facilities district provides annual bond-payment money through an interlocal agreement.
• The senior center is operated by the Spokane Valley Senior Citizen Association under a 2005 MOU updated in 2016; the city receives no revenue from that use. The association has over 600 paying members and offers 39 activities per week; Meals on Wheels operates daily from the Fireside Lounge/Silver Cafe.
• Staff reported high utilization: the great room hosted 208 events in 2025, about 61% of available days; 221 reservations are already contracted or completed in 2026, about 65% of available days; and about 120 events are pre-booked for 2027. Weddings rose from 40 in 2025 to 60 in 2026. Estimated out-of-town guests reached about 2,000 by July 2026, after totaling about 2,000 in all of 2025.
• The consultant's Johnson study found CenterPlace operates as both a tourism and community asset, identified physical size, back-of-house, parking, and capacity limitations, and did not recommend third-party management for a facility of this size. Rates have not been comprehensively updated since 2008; a rate study is underway, and staffing will be discussed alongside rate options and booking policies.
• Councilmembers generally supported a "hybrid" model. Councilmember Kelly said CenterPlace should always first be a community center but should pursue revenue neutrality, suggested exploring tourism marketing and hotel partnerships, and offered illustrative targets such as keeping a portion of events community-oriented and attracting more out-of-town visitors. Councilmember Wick emphasized community value and the city's emergency/backup/government uses, and reframed the net cost as a general fund allocation for those benefits. Councilmember Merkel advocated seeking an outside operator through a fixed-fee solicitation, while Councilmember Haley and Councilmember Wick preferred continuing the current hybrid model. Councilmember Yeager supported dedicated sales/marketing and tourism-driven bookings. Several members raised safety, parking, sound-system, and capital-improvement concerns.

Active Transportation Plan Discussion

• Adam Jackson, Jeremy Clark, and Kylie Jones of Kinley Horn presented the draft Active Transportation Plan (ATP). It builds on the city's 2010 bike/pedestrian master plan and a 2025 WSDOT-funded planning effort. The draft includes a vision statement, goals, and need-score project lists, including top-20 sidewalk and top-20 bicycle/shared-use path projects. It is intended to improve safety, increase grant competitiveness, and satisfy the comprehensive plan's multimodal level-of-service requirement.
• The public hearing on the draft drew zero comments. Written letters were received from Central Valley and West Valley school districts, both of which were represented on the stakeholder working group.
• Councilmember Merkel cited plan data showing only about 0.15% of commute trips by bike and 1.39% by walking, and said 96% of residents use personal vehicles daily for work trips. He argued the city should prioritize sidewalk infill and safe routes to school, and seriously deprioritize most other projects. He also expressed concern about the maintenance cost of a proposed $100 million sidewalk network, estimated at 5–10% per year.
• Councilmember Kelly said he would view any policy that makes car travel harder with skepticism, and favored sidewalks as the best value. Deputy Mayor Hattenberg prioritized corridors such as Flora Road from Sprague to Mission, citing missing sidewalks, heavy use, and growth. Councilmember Wick highlighted hills and freight corridors such as McDonald Road between Trent and Wellesley, plus shared-use paths for economic development and child safety.
• Councilmember Haley disputed the completeness of the data, noting that many families bike recreationally to schools and parks, not just for commuting. Councilmember Yeager said newer high-density neighborhoods will increase the need for walking and biking infrastructure.
• Staff acknowledged there is little local bike/pedestrian count data, explained that the plan relies on state/regional data and level-of-traffic-stress metrics, and said local usage data should be improved. No formal action was taken on the ATP; staff will incorporate council comments and return with a prioritization exercise.

Comprehensive Plan Discussion

• Community and Economic Development Director Mike Basinger and Planning Manager Steve Roberge presented the revised goals and policies for the comprehensive plan periodic update. The draft increases goals from 33 to 42 and policies from 123 to 162, largely due to a new state-required climate and resiliency element, which added 7 goals and 17 policies.
• Staff said the revisions were made through a valley-centric lens, removing some consultant-drafted language, reducing redundancy, and preserving themes such as property rights, neighborhood character, and a flexible business climate while remaining state-compliant.
• The mayor praised the revised document and language. Councilmember Merkel questioned goals related to reducing per-capita vehicle miles traveled and promoting renewable energy, and requested the state requirements that drove those goals. Councilmember Wick asked whether tourism should be a stand-alone goal and requested stronger language on railroad grade separations and railroad consolidation.
• Staff said the goals and policies will continue to be refined and that public outreach will continue before the full draft comprehensive plan is released.

Spokane County UGA Expansion Proposal

• Staff described Spokane County's proposal to adjust urban growth areas, presented to the Board of County Commissioners by Planning Director Scott Chesney on August 24. The county's alternative focuses on UGA "swaps" and omits a substantial portion of the Centennial Properties/Coles Real Estate area near the river that the city had requested for future commercial and industrial growth, while adding areas on the city's southern and northern borders, including Highland Estates/Monte Del Rey and Del Ray.
• Staff explained that the city has built out the Northeast Industrial Area through its planned action ordinance and sees the eastern area as the logical next growth area. Staff noted prior coordination on sewer service, including an ARPA-funded Buckeye Avenue sewer extension, and transportation studies with the City of Liberty Lake and WSDOT.
• Councilmember Wick called the county's process flawed because it bypassed the steering committee of elected officials. He also said the county should first focus on designated urban reserve areas, identify future urban reserve areas and joint planning areas, and avoid creating a non-contiguous hole. Deputy Mayor Hattenberg agreed that the process sidestep affects cities countywide. Councilmember Merkel clarified that the request is about preparing land for future growth, not immediate annexation.
• Council directed staff to prepare a letter to the county beginning with process objections and also addressing the omitted industrial/commercial area, the undesired additions, and related concerns. Staff said they would have a draft ready for council review at the next Tuesday council meeting.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the meeting agenda by voice vote.
• No substantive policy votes were taken on CenterPlace, the ATP, or the comprehensive plan goals and policies.
• Staff will use council's CenterPlace discussion to inform the forthcoming fee/rate study, booking policies, staffing proposals, and potential capital improvements.
• For the ATP, staff will revise the draft, consider ways to improve local usage data, and return with a council prioritization exercise.
• For the comprehensive plan, staff will refine goals and policies and continue public outreach.
• Council directed staff to draft a letter responding to Spokane County's UGA proposal, with process objections and city priorities, for review at the next council meeting.
• The council adjourned by voice vote after completing the agenda.