Spokane, with roughly 200,000 people in the city & over 550,000 in the surrounding area, is the largest city between Seattle & Minneapolis. It is the primary media & commerical center for the inland NW. The gateway to the Northern Rocky Mountains, the city itself is located along the falls of the Spokane River in a forested bowl where the desert of the Columbian Basin & foothills of the Rocky Mtns meet.

Downtown:

Riverfront Park (http://www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com/), site of the 1974 World's Fair, is the park in the middle. The falls are visable adjacent to it. River Park Square (http://www.riverparksquare.com/), a major downtown shopping center is to the right of the park. A network of skybridges links the mall with other shopping centers, department stores, city hall, the library, etc. Major restoration is occuring in downtown. Steam Plant Square (http://www.steamplantsquare.com/) & the renovation of the historic 4 star Davenport Hotel (http://www.thedavenporthotel.com/) are two examples. The river below the falls is being fitted to become a whitewater park similar to Reno (but with a better quality whitewater river). The bare land on the left, lower side of the pic along the river is slated to be developed into a wonderful project (condos, shops, a rip off of Seattle's Pike Place Market!) (http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=2371).

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_090.jpg


Looking South:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_087.jpg


Looking West. Gonzaga University in lower right.


http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_035.jpg


Looking North from South Hill:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_123.jpg


Looking NE:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_125.jpg


View of the Spokane Bowl from Spokane Interntional Airport on the city's western outskirts. Mt. Spokane in the distance; to its right is the Purcell Trench (a flat valley), home to Coeur d'Alene, ID.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_141.jpg


Looking E. down the hill into downtown. Riverside State Park (http://www.riversidestatepark.org/) begins where river exits picture on left.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_138.jpg


Looking SE:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_117.jpg

View of Spokane Bowl, Spokane River, Riverside State Park, etc, from NW outskirts of city. (wheatfields of the Palouse region in the distance)

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_106.jpg


From the N. Northtown Mall is in the heart of Spokane's north side.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_074.jpg


From Spokane Valley looking W. into downtown:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane_valley/2002/svh2002_006.jpg


From the industrial section of Spokane Valley looking SW into downtown Spokane:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane_valley/2002/svh2002_001.jpg


Liberty Lake / Spokane Valley (desert of the Columbia Basin visable off in distance):

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/liberty_lake/2002/llh2002_008.jpg


Liberty Lake

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/liberty_lake/2002/llh2002_006.jpg


Post Falls, ID looking E. to Hayden & the northside of Coeur d'Alene:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/id/post_falls/2002/pfh2002_023.jpg


Post Falls, ID looking W. to Spokane:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/id/post_falls/2002/pfh2002_005.jpg


Coeur d'Alene, ID:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/id/coeur_dalene/2002/cdh2002_021.jpg

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/id/coeur_dalene/2002/cdh2002_019.jpg


Looking N. from Coeur d'Alene to Hayden & other places N. (mountains & hills around Sandpoint in distance):

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/id/coeur_dalene/2002/cdh2002_015.jpg


Cheney, WA, home to Eastern Washington University.

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/cheney/2002/cyh2002_013.jpg

A few more:


Looking NE towards the Rockies:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_037.jpg

Latah Valley & South Hill:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_128.jpg

Downtown:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/spokane/2002/skh2002_102.jpg


Looking SW from the growing northern burbs. Future North freeway corrdior visable:

http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/colbert/2002/clh2002_004.jpg

Cheney, WA, home to Eastern Washington University.
http://www.aerolistphoto.com/images/wa/cheney/2002/cyh2002_013.jpg
spent abt 2yrs @ EWU. simply gorgeous.

Whats up with that huge project going down on the bluffs overlooking the river. I read an article saying that billions of dollars are being invested. I heard they are trying to create a mini Portland in good ole Spokane. Go SPOKE TOWN!!!!!

^

http://www.spokanejournal.com/photos/design.jpg

Chesrown taps top designer (http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=2371)

Coeur d’Alene developer Marshall Chesrown has hired Design Workshop Inc., a trend-setting Denver-based firm that specializes in urban planning and landscape architecture, to create a master plan for his planned development at the former Summit development site here.

Chesrown says he plans to unveil the master plan for the project on June 16 at an invitation-only event in Spokane and then show it to the public the next day.

“Except for a little bit of tweaking, it’s done,” Chesrown says. “I couldn’t be happier with it.”

Todd Johnson, a partner in 35-year-old Design Workshop, says he can+t release many specifics about the master plan, but contends it will have a profound economic and social effect on Spokane.

“We value the center of a city,” Johnson says. “We think this project has the potential to bring people back to downtown. Our company specializes in reconnecting these types of sites to the assets of a city.”

Chesrown’s project, on 90 vacant acres above the north bank of the Spokane River west of Monroe, will result in an influx of 2,000 or more residents who will live near Spokane’s heart, Johnson says. He says that Spokane’s downtown is largely empty after 6 p.m. each day, but bringing so many new residents so close to the downtown will bring new energy and economic opportunities to the city.

Johnson predicts that the project will have a $1 billion impact on Spokane+s economy. Chesrown has a similar view and says the investment in the development alone will be at least a half billion dollars.

Design Workshop has been planning a mixed-use development that would include an estimated 1,000 residences and roughly 1.5 million square feet of commercial space.

The project also will have a public market-which would be similar to the famed Pike Place Market, in Seattle, but on a smaller scale-and a viewing plaza, Johnson says.

Steve McNutt, chairman of the Spokane Parks Department’s Riverfront Park Committee, says that the public market and plaza would go into the city-owned Veteran’s Park, which is just east of the Summit development site. McNutt says Chesrown also is suggesting having in his development a public plaza and a stop on the city’s gondola ride, which picks up riders in Riverfront Park, carries them over the Spokane River, and drops them back off at the park.

“It’s really important to connect our project to the downtown and create a destination,” he says. “We’re going to open it all up with a lot public space and enhance the Centennial Trail.”

Borrowed elements

Johnson says the master plan for Chesrown’s property will incorporate some of the elements that Design Workshop has used in award-winning projects in Phoenix, Denver, and Las Vegas that were developed near rivers or railroad yards. The Summit site, of course, is near a river and on former railroad property.

Those other developments have favored an urban-living concept, catering to professionals who live, work, and play in the downtown areas of those cities rather than in their suburbs, Johnson says.

“The urban-village idea will prove that this sort of lifestyle is meaningful, and it will allow other developers in and around downtown Spokane to complete other projects,” Johnson says. “Portland and Denver have had similar experiences. In Las Vegas, we took the mayor to Denver and Phoenix to show them what was possible. The mayor of Las Vegas said, ‘I want our’s to look like their’s.’”

Chesrown enthusiastically endorses Design Workshop.

“This isn’t like doing a little subdivision project on a street,” Chesrown says. “You want to work with the best, and so far it has been an excellent choice. I am amazed by their attention to detail and the speed at which they work.”

Chesrown’s daughter lives in one of the developments Design Workshop designed in Denver, and after having seen it, Chesrown approached Design Workshop about creating something similar in Spokane.

“The look and feel of the place is great,” Chesrown says. “I was very impressed by the architecture and development as a whole-right down to how the sidewalks look.”

That Denver development, Riverfront Park (formerly the Commons), received a Charter Award in 2003 from the Congress for New Urbanism, a nonprofit Chicago-based organization that works with architects, developers, and planners across the country to encourage them to create active neighborhoods.

“All across America people are moving back to the city,” Chesrown asserts. “In downtown Denver in the ‘80s, you wouldn’t want to be there after dark. Now, it’s a thriving area. With this type of design, people (who are) 18 to 80 are living downtown. It’s truly a mixed-use development.”

Design Workshop says it has received more than 90 awards for its innovative designs in communities in North and South America.

New urbanism is a design concept that started about 15 years ago, and some of the strategies behind it are to reduce how long people spend in traffic, to supply affordable housing, and to rein in urban sprawl, the Congress for New Urbanism’s Web site says. New urbanism also promotes open spaces, safe streets, and environmentally friendly designs.

Design Workshop uses pedestrian-friendly features, including plazas, public markets, and walking paths, in many of its designs. One of the more unusual design features in its 1,000-resident-plus Phoenix development is an outdoor walkway that connects residences to retail shops and restaurants. It uses a canopy and water feature that sprays a fine mist of water on people to keep them cool as they walk in the oppressive summer heat, Johnson says.

“The transportation network is an important feature in any development,” Johnson says. “It’s ideal to have both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The success of retailers is at the ground level, and they need to have lots of activity.”

Other of Design Workshop’s projects have garnered national awards, including an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the firm+s work on the Clark County Wetlands, outside of Las Vegas, the firm says. Design Workshop’s planning efforts helped restore grassy wetlands after they had been damaged by erosion and wastewater.

Spotlighting the river

The Spokane River will be the star of the project here, Johnson says.

“The Spokane River and the cataracts are extraordinary,” Johnson says. “We want to take advantage of that dramatic scenery and the Centennial Trail, which is an outstanding feature to have.”

Chesrown says the residential portion of the project likely will include apartments, condominiums, and town homes, although the size and prices of those residences hadn’t been determined yet.

While Design Workshop created the master plan, Chesrown says he’s interviewing award-winning architectural firms from across the country to design the buildings in his development.

Johnson says there still are issues to work out with the city of Spokane, although he declines to elaborate about them. He does say some of roads on the site need to be improved or moved.

Chesrown has approached the city of Spokane about occupying space in Veteran’s Park, but no formal request has been made, McNutt says. He says Chesrown has proposed realigning Bridge Avenue east of Monroe from the development site to connect with a future road that would run through his development west of Monroe Street. That realignment would shift Bridge slightly to the north.

The property was formerly called the Summit site, a name given it by former owner Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co., of Spokane, but Johnson says it will be renamed to reflect the history of Spokane and people who+ve used the Spokane River. The new name won’t be released until Chesrown unveils the project next month.

Chesrown bought the property in early January at an auction in Metropolitan’s bankruptcy case for $12.8 million. It extends west from Monroe Street along the north bank of the river to Summit Boulevard, which parallels a northward bend in the river.

A development site that includes 90 acres of vacant land alongside a free-flowing river in the heart of a city is rare today, Johnson says.

“The first time I saw the Spokane River, I said, ‘This is an amazing set of circumstances,’” Johnson says. “To have 90 contiguous acres of land poised on a bluff over a river is really unique. You don’t see anything like it anywhere in the country.”

Info on the Whitewater park:

Friends of the Falls website (http://www.friendsofthefalls.org/news1027.snap)

http://www.friendsofthefalls.org/21047/main/content/photogallery/large/low-c-12.jpe

What are the winters like in Spokane. Are the highs in the 30's or 40's? Lots of windy brisk days I bet. I don't mind cold but when it is windy and cold that is no bueno. What is the elevation of Spoke town? Cour d' a laine sp.? looks sweet too, lots of wake boarding and hot chicks on the lake fo sho! Are the women good looking their, or kind of homely?

^ Spokane does have an interior climate but since the Pacific Ocean is only 300 miles west, it can get more mild in the winter than most interior cities. Most of the Spokane - Coeur d'Alene area is 1,800 ft. to 2,300 ft. The are many ski areas in the area including Mt. Spokane, 49 Degrees North, & Silver Mountain east of Coeur d'Alene. The resort town of Sandpoint, ID (http://www.cityofsandpoint.com/), home to Schweitzer Mountain (http://www.schweitzer.com/) is a popular ski town (& summer lake resort) & only 75 miles from Spokane. Whitefish, MT home to Big Mtn (http://www.bigmtn.com/summer/index.aspx) is a little over 3 hours from Spokane. Both Sandpoint & Whitefish are accessable via Amtrak from Spokane.

In the summer, the Northern Rocky Mtn Lake Country becomes packed with visitors escaping the heat of the interior. Lake Pend Oreille (Ponderay) in Sand Point is the area's largest lake & one of the largest fresh water lakes west of the Great Lakes. The Clark Fork of the Columbia River feeds into the lake at one end & the Pend Oreille River emerges out the other below Albeni Falls Dam near the Washington-Idaho State line. It is one of the deepest & cleanest lakes in the country.

Lake Coeur d'Alene is Lake Pend Oreille's smaller sister. It is resorty & scenic but not as scenic as Pend Oreille. Preist Lake to the NW of Lake Pend Oreille is the most affordable of the larger Mtn lakes. There are numerous smaller lakes that dot the area also.

Sandpoint, ID:

http://www.sandpoint.com/Tools/images/aerial/aerial1.jpg

http://www.sandpoint.com/Tools/images/aerial/aerial25.jpg

http://www.sandpoint.com/Tools/images/aerial/aerial24.jpg

Spokane looks real nice, lots of forests that cover many parts of the city. It's interesting that it's yellow and dry on the west side and more green with trees and such on the spokane area. I never been to Spokane before, but I want to visit it someday for fun. :) It's interesting to see waterfalls in the middle of the city.

I took a few skyline shots from South Hill & some pics of the falls last weekend. I will post them tomorrow after I scan them at work.

Spokane last week:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Sounder206/spo2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Sounder206/spo1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Sounder206/spo4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Sounder206/spo3.jpg

I have been to Spokane, but never spent alot of time there. I know Boise just surpassed it in population.

What are the winters like in Spokane. Are the highs in the 30's or 40's? Lots of windy brisk days I bet. I don't mind cold but when it is windy and cold that is no bueno. What is the elevation of Spoke town? Cour d' a laine sp.? looks sweet too, lots of wake boarding and hot chicks on the lake fo sho! Are the women good looking their, or kind of homely?
I lived in Spokane for about 3 years. It doesn't really get windy at all. In the middle of the winter the highs are most commonly in the 30's or 40's and the lows in the 20's. Sometimes it gets up to the 50's. It gets a good amount of snow, but not like Buffalo or anything. The 3 winters I was there, I noticed there were a lot of days where it was raining around downtown in the valley, but as soon as you go up the hill to the airport or up to South Hill, it was snowing.

The summers get hot, commonly in the 80's and 90's but it gets cool at night, in the 50's or 60's. There is an increased occurance of thunderstorms in the spring, but they taper off around late June-early July, and summer is dry.

When I was there, having also been familiar with Seattle's climate, I called the climate "Inland Maritime." Like Seattle it's got a wet season and a dry season, and the temps aren't *that* extreme like the Plains or Midwest, but it's definitely got higher highs and lower lows than Seattle.

I like the pictures

Spokane is interesting from the air. I could recognize many of the parts. How old are those pictures, by the way? I think I noticed some new development on the Northside, but am unsure if I'm correct. (new, as in, after summer 2003)

^ the pics are from 2002. I hope aerolist updates Spokane again soon.