Policy

Promote mixed commercial, service, and residential land use developments, incorporating transit and active transportation facilities to ease congestion, reduce single-occupancy vehicle use, and encourage healthier lifestyles.

Encourage mixed use development in commercial areas with the DNL 65-69 designation, as indicated on the land use map. Promote mixed-use projects in these areas to incorporate multimodal facilities within the development, including trails, bike lanes or paths, and transit facilities, and ensure their integration with existing or planned multimodal projects.

• Encourage travel between the residential, work, and recreational land uses of site.

• Provide the local streets and access easements needed to promote travel off City arterials and collectors.

• Provides active transportation options (walking and biking) between land uses.

• Enforce Multimodal Level of Service (LOS) goals for private development, incentivizing compliance by offering reductions in the City traffic impact fee for meeting these standards.

Maintain a system of federally functional classified roadways to safely and efficiently accommodate projected travel demands for Airway Heights.

Strategy:

• Develop multimodal design standards for respective roadway classes, as defined with Transportation Section 1 of City Design Standards.

• Assure access management criteria per Section 2E of the Transportation section of City Design Standards is applied to assure the performance and safety of roadways.

• The Concurrency Standard of Municipal Code 14.09 is established to affirm classified roadways have the capacity to address forecast travel demands.

• Work to assure the 6-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is advanced at a pace commensurate with the gain in travel demands.

• Assure the traffic impact fee program is developed to support the funding of TIP projects.

• Coordinate with WSDOT and adjacent local agencies to coordinate classifications for shared roadways, and to affirm consistency in design.

Design or encourage development to provide multimodal application in private construction.

Strategy:

• Work with Spokane Transit to identify opportunities for fixed route stops or vanpool.

• Establish active transportation options (walking and biking) along corridors designated by mater pedestrian and bicycle plans.

• Establish context-sensitive designs that fit the character of neighborhoods.

• When appropriate, utilize traffic calming measures (bulb-outs, islands, etc.) to slow traffic on multimodal corridors.

• Update and Maintain a Complete Street plan per City of Airway Heights Municipal Code 14.10.

• Develop context sensitive designs that promote the appeal of transportation facilities.

• Enforce Multimodal Level of Service (LOS) goals for private development, incentivizing compliance by offering reductions in the City traffic impact fee for meeting these standards.

Encourage development to organize Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies.

Strategy:

• Work with developers to establish mixed-use developments advanced with complete street networks.

• Encourage City businesses with 100 or more full-time employees to provide flextime or telecommuting schedule options.

• Provide ride-share options through organizations such as Spokane Transit or Commute Finder Northwest.

• Develop other TDM strategies in compliance with best practices.

• Document a commute trip reduction plan per City of Airway Heights Municipal Code Chapter 10.16.

• Use transportation technology (intelligent transportation systems, variable messaging, etc.) and wayfinding to help maintain the movements of traffic through the City.

• TDM and CTR strategies can result in reduced development trip generation, which could result in a reduction of traffic impact fees, as approved by the City Public Works director.

Work to develop bicycle facilities with City collectors and private development projects.

Strategy:

• Implement the network of paths and dedicated lanes for bicycle activity as identified in the City Comprehensive Plan.

• Develop multiuse paths, bike paths, or bike lanes along City collectors in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Plan.

• Require private development projects to conduct bicycle and pedestrian analyses and discussion in the traffic impact analyses, as determined by the discretion of the City engineer during scope sessions.

• Require private development to incorporate multiuse paths, bike paths, or bike lanes as part of the frontage improvement in a manner consistent with the bicycle master plan.

• Collaborate with private development to proactively plan for and preserve the right-of-way (ROW) needed for bicycle facilities.

Employ access management practices throughout the City to help preserve mobility and safety for area roadways.

Strategy:

• Incorporate the spacing guidelines outlined in Section 2E of the Transportation section in the City Design Standards to optimize the spacing of classified roadways within the network that supports mobility.

• Implement the minimum private development approach spacings defined in Section 2E of the Transportation section of City Design Standards to minimize the impact on traffic flow.

• Enforce the requirement for residential developments with more than 30 units/dwellings to provide secondary access through a separate street to meet mobility needs and ensure emergency service accessibility.

• Require adjacent commercial developments to establish connecting cross-easements between sites to provide for mobility off the city street system, particularly along U.S. 2.

• Promote shared access, as possible, to minimize the number of access points along City collectors and arterials.

Ensure that all City roads are designated as public, unless otherwise specified or approved by the City engineer or as specified in the City Municipal Code.

Strategy:

• An applicant petition for a private road is subject to approval by the City Engineer.

• The maintenance/upkeep of private roads will be the responsibility of the property owner.

• The minimum cross-section of a private road will be a 20-foot paved surface unless approved otherwise by the City engineer.

• A private street serving multi-family, mobile home parks, or commercial uses shall provide a 5-foot sidewalk on one side designed to prevent parking on the sidewalk.

• A private road will be limited to a volume of 300 average daily traffic or 30 trips per hour.

• Further definitions and guidelines for City streets are discussed with Section 2E of the Transportation section of City Design Standards.

Invest in drastic streetscape improvements and beautification efforts in Downtown.

Strategy:

• Develop streetscape designs along US-2 and King Street. Use green space, landscaping, street furniture, and pedestrian lighting to establish a multi-purpose, attractive, safe public space.

• Establish a public art program with a downtown focus area. Engage the community and local artists, partner with local nonprofits, and investigate the feasibility of a public art on loan program.

• Review and update zoning overlay districts and identify an opportunity zone to ensure design standards contribute to downtown development and success.

• Incorporate wayfinding and gateway signage throughout the city to improve connections between downtown and other areas. Such signage should include art elements and environmental knowledge, and should communicate a sense of arrival.

• Define a transition into downtown by constructing US-2 to provide traffic calming through the core, and by encouraging a greater density of buildings and activity in the core.

In the Downtown, integrate a mixture of housing options including affordable and “missing middle” housing.

Strategy:

• Promote new development concepts in housing, retail, restaurants, and the arts, such as mixed-use development, incubators, maker spaces, and other lower-cost start-up spaces for local entrepreneurs.

• Actively pursue housing developments within the downtown subarea and along US-2 that support “missing middle” markets such as young professionals, first-time homebuyers, and downsizing households.

• Ensure land use designations, zoning, subdivision, and development standards are supportive of mixed housing and downtown redevelopment.

• Evaluate the feasibility for a mixed-use housing pilot project.

Strengthen existing businesses and support reinvestment Downtown.

Strategy:

• Invest in local businesses with a focus on maintaining existing ones. Partner with businesses, provide resources and education on maintenance requirements and opportunities, and enforce code consistently.

• Evaluate parking strategies, surface lots, and opportunities for infill and redevelopment as appropriate.

• Study infrastructure needs and funding for the downtown area south of US-2.

• Leverage investment with grants, city funds, partnerships, and collaborate to foster downtown development that can be utilized for storefront improvement grants to local businesses.

• Study the benefits of vacating 13th and 14th avenues as a stimulus to private redevelopment along US-2 .

• Capitalize on business diversity and culture such as the variety of restaurants, colors, and ethnicity. Support unique designs, colorful buildings, and use of public art downtown.

Create and improve collaborative, inclusive and safe public spaces in the Downtown.

Strategy:

• Develop a civic campus south of US-2 and study the possibility of relocating city services there. The campus could be a non-profit/government partnership and include a center with health/education services .

• Encourage activation of downtown public spaces. Examples could include community gardens, trails, pocket parks, etc.

• Re -envision Sunset Park as a northern downtown anchor. Develop a Master Park Plan that improves connections and integration with downtown.

• Involve the public in events and programs that get people excited about Downtown Airway Heights such as a public market and collaborative art.

• Utilize tactical urbanism approaches to initiate pilot projects such as parklets, bike lanes, street furniture, plazas, and traffic calming to inspire long-term change and gauge and seek community buy-in.