SPOKANE, Wash. — Barbra Papke has lived in the Latah Valley neighborhood in Spokane for around 20 years.
During that time, her home has given her a front-row seat to the neighborhood's changes, including the recent development of more than 400 new homes.
Papke said the city didn't think things through in their planning, especially with Highway 195 right there.
"I don't think they took into consideration how many houses would be up here [and] how many cars would be traveling on the road," Papke said.
To address the issue, Spokane City Council is considering a resolution to study the area's growth and figure out the best way to move forward.
If the resolution is passed, the plan is to hire Berk Consulting out of Seattle for the project. Berk Consulting would provide a fiscal study of the neighborhood, with the goal of looking into how to proceed with growth in the region.
The cost is not to exceed $200,000.
The resolution's co-sponsor, Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle, expressed his support at Monday night's City Council meeting.
"I hope that what it helps us understand is a pathway forward in that part of town," Bingle said. "It's an area that's right for development that keeps getting postponed."
Spokane City Councilman Paul Dillon, who sponsored the moratorium on new construction in the area last spring, said he sees support from people living in the area.
"This is something the residents of Latah have been asking for for two decades now," Dillon said.
Papke said she's not hopeful about the changes coming to her neighborhood, even with the city looking for new ways to address it.
"They have their own mindset, and they're going to do what they want to do," Papke said. "And that's the way it's been in Spokane from what I understand. I know people who've lived here for 50 years and they say the city doesn't pay attention. It's the wild west. That's what they used to say."
City Council is expected to vote on the resolution on Monday, December 2.
Spokane City Council also added three more Hillyard buildings to the Spokane Register of Historic Places. The new additions are at the Willerton Diamond Photo Play Theater, Willerton Block and Yukon Block.
All three buildings were built between 1907 and 1911. They'll bring up the number of buildings in the Hillyard Historic Business District to 17.