The Five Mile Corp., of Spokane, has proposed developing a 287-lot subdivision, to be called Falcon Ridge, on almost 122 acres located on Five Mile Prairie, where neighbors have contested several recent subdivision proposals.


The proposed subdivision would be located north of Strong Road and west of Dorset Road, about half a mile north of the Spokane city limits. The typical lot size would be nearly 11,000 square feet, or about a quarter acre, with the smallest lots having about 10,000 square feet of space.


Developer Bob Frisch, president of the Five Mile Corp., estimates that lots would be priced at about $30,000. Prices for homes, including the lot price, are expected to range from $120,000 to $135,000. That would give the project a value of at least $34 million when completed.


The Spokane County hearing examiner was scheduled to hold a preliminary public hearing on the plat application May 5 and to render a decision later. Frisch expects appeals, should the project be approved.


Wed be fortunate to turn dirt this fall, he says, of the likely groundbreaking time. It would be more likely to start next spring.


Once started, the proposed subdivision would be developed in eight phases over 10 years, Frisch estimates.


He says Five Mile Corp. already has spent several years on preliminary work on Falcon Ridge, which was first proposed in 1996 under the name Sunset Meadows. A final environmental impact statement for the subdivision was completed recently.


In public comments during the environmental review process, the Five Mile Neighborhood Council expressed concerns about, added traffic from the development, drainage of storm-water runoff and the possibility of disturbing wildlife in the area.


Francine Shaw, a senior planner at the county, says the developer has done a conceptual drainage plan to show how the development can meet county standards for handling storm-water runoff. That plan calls for a combination of grassy swales, interconnected evaporative ponds, and dry wells.


Shaw also says that a traffic-impact analysis found that the project wont drop the level of service on roads in the area to an unacceptable point, and Five Mile Corp. will pay a per-lot impact fee to fund road improvements.


To accommodate deer and other wildlife in the area, Five Mile Corp. will create an easement for an urban natural open space, that must be left in a pristine natural state and would allow wildlife to move across the prairie, Shaw says.


Also, Shaw says, the Spokane County Parks & Recreation Department has asked Five Mile Corp. either to contribute land for a county park in the Five Mile Prairie area or provide a private recreation area within the subdivision.