SPOKANE, Wash. — Business owners in downtown Spokane have growing concerns about safety, homelessness and the overall direction the city is going, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
391 interviews were conducted among downtown business and property owners. Their top concerns included homelessness, crime, violence, drug addiction, public safety, and security.
Filipo Cournoyer is not a business owner, but he works for one and serves customers visiting Spokane nearly every day. Cournoyer said he feels perfectly safe downtown.
“I think tourists that come down here and don't really understand the homeless community, it could be kind of intimidating for them and then obviously for women too, walking around downtown,” Cournoyer said.
The majority of businesses surveyed said crime and nuisance activity has either lowered their property’s value or the number of customers walking in the door.
“We’ve had customers that have had instances with their cars, stealing stuff out of their cars, breaking windows and stuff like that,” Cournoyer said. “It’s been a few times, you know, homeless come in. We used to have a tip jar in our front desk right there and they would come in and run out and you know, run off with it.”
Using survey results, DSP is recommending several policies — the majority involve the city’s homeless problem.
DSP wants the city to provide emergency shelter, social services, drug treatment options, and a “structured environment” for people suffering from mental illness. The group is also recommending more workforce housing and asking lawmakers to repeal laws that make it impossible for law enforcement to make controlled substance arrests.
Cournoyer said there’s one idea missing from the list of proposals: affordable parking options for downtown workers.
“We’ve actually had quite a few employees actually quit because they don’t make enough to pay for parking here and their bills.” He added many employees have to set timers on their phones to remind themselves to plug parking meters. Cournoyer said it’s not uncommon for workers to spend $10 per day on parking, or roughly $200 per month.
While there was plenty of negative feedback collected in the survey, most business owners said they are optimistic about downtown Spokane’s long-term future.