The city of Liberty Lake is making its fourth attempt at annexing 644 acres of land west of its current city limits.


Doug Smith, the citys director of planning and community development, says a public hearing on the annexation request is scheduled for Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at Liberty Lake Elementary School, at 23606 E. Boone.


Currently part of unincorporated Spokane County, the property proposed to be annexed is bordered by the Spokane River to the north and extends just past Country Vista Drive to the south. Its eastern border abuts the Liberty Lake city limits, and its western border meets the Spokane Valley city limits. Just under 600 acres of the land is located on the north side of Interstate 90, and the rest is on the south side of the freeway.


The property is largely undeveloped, but does include River Crossing, a 500-lot subdivision that Centennial Properties Inc., of Spokane, and Greenstone Corp., of Liberty Lake, are developing, as well as some commercial structures, such as the now-closed Sports USA facility.


Smith says that most recently, the city tried to annex the 644-acre property in December 2004, but the Spokane County Boundary Review Board rejected the request, citing problems with the citys capital facilities plan. Liberty Lake since has revised its capital facilities plan and doesnt expect that it will be an issue in its latest request, he says.


Wayne Frost, vice president of Centennial Properties, says that company owns about 500 acres within the proposed annexation area and supports the annexation request. About 450 acres of that land is on the north side of I-90, with the balance of the property located just east of the Nut Factory store on the south side of the freeway.


Frost says the land proposed for annexation is classified in Spokane Countys comprehensive plan as an urban activity center, which allows a variety of uses, and Centennial Properties envisions developing retail space on both sides of the freeway.


Also, the company wants to develop office space and multifamily housing on the north side of the freeway, in addition to completing River Crossing, where about 100 homes either have been constructed or currently are being built.


He says that on the property it has designated for retail development, up to 1 million square feet of floor space eventually could be built. Centennial Properties doesnt currently have any retail development planned there, but is talking with a number of prospective users, he says.


Centennial Properties is a subsidiary of Cowles Co., a subsidiary of which owns the Journal of Business.


Liberty Lake, which formally incorporated in 2001, currently includes 3,287 acres of land and had an estimated population of 4,950 as of 2004.