A 24-unit townhome project has been proposed at 7724 N. Austin Road in the Five Mile Prairie neighborhood in North Spokane.

The development, dubbed Avey Townhomes, is owned by Justin and Rachel Avey. Spokane-based Avey Construction Group LLC, also owned by Justin Avey, is the contractor on the development, and Spokane-based Press Architecture LLC is the architect, according to permit application information on file with the city of Spokane. Spokane-based Sorentino Consulting Engineers LLC is the engineering firm for the project.

Avey Construction Group submitted permit applications for four three-story, three-unit buildings and four three-story, four-unit buildings in September. The company also submitted applications for four detached three-car garages as part of the development, according to permit information.

A representative of Avey Construction Group declines to comment on the project.

Six units are planned to have two bedrooms and a private garage; six units are planned to have three bedrooms with a private garage; eight units are planned with two bedrooms and exterior parking access; and four units are planned with three bedrooms with exterior parking, according to a site plan for the project.

The proposed middle housing development, with the seven independent buildings and four detached garages, is estimated to cost $6.6 million, permit information shows.

Two of the three larger four-unit buildings have an estimated value of $950,000 each, while the third building has an estimated cost of about $1.8 million, according to the permit information. The three buildings are each proposed to have a footprint of about 2,400 square feet, with a total square footage of nearly 7,000 square feet.

Each of the smaller three-residence buildings are estimated to cost $650,000, permit information shows. The buildings are proposed to each have a footprint of 1,750 square feet, with the total square footage coming to nearly 4,800 square feet.

The townhome development will be accessible from Austin Road by a single 24-foot-wide access road, according to the site plan. The 2.5-acre lot is currently vacant.

Austin Road is currently unpaved and Avey Construction Group will be required to pave the road north of the property to existing asphalt either north of the site, to Cascade Way or south of the property to Quamish Drive, according to the city of Spokane’s State Environmental Policy Act Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance, which was issued Oct. 20.

Determinations are issued by the city to document the responsible official’s decision that a proposal is unlikely to have significant adverse environmental impacts, according to the state of Washington’s Department of Ecology website. A mitigated determination typically includes more public involvement and greater scrutiny and is issued when there is assurance that specific enforceable mitigation will reduce impacts to a nonsignificant level.

An average of 132 total daily trips are expected to be generated by the townhomes during the week, according to a trip generation letter submitted by Spokane-based Storhaug Engineering Inc. Storhaug Engineering also submitted the State Environmental Policy Act environmental checklist for the project.

The Five Mile Prairie neighborhood council has expressed concerns about the proposal and has opposed the project in a letter to the city of Spokane on Sept. 18. Concerns include the single entry and exit point to the property, which the council says could pose as a potential issue for emergency vehicle access, as well as the degradation and safety of the unpaved Austin Road, the letter says.

Austin Road also doesn’t currently have a sidewalk, and the council has recommended pedestrian safety improvements at the site, according to the letter. The council also has expressed concern about the water supply system, acknowledging a growing community concern about whether firefighters can access sufficient water in an emergency situation.

“I think the biggest thing is just providing the proper infrastructure, like paving the road all the way through,” says Aaron Reese, Five Mile Prairie neighborhood council chair. “Austin (Road) is partially paved up to a certain point, and then it turns to dirt road, and then it's paved again north of the property. I think that would go a long way with the community.”

In response, the city of Spokane responded to a letter to the council addressing concerns on Oct. 23. As part of the permit approval process, the city will review the applications for compliance with emergency access and fire safety design codes, including turnarounds and hydrant spacing; stormwater management and erosion-control plans that meet city and Department of Ecology standards; environmental impacts; and neighborhood height, density, and use regulations. 

Avey Construction Group will also be required to install sidewalks and pedestrian connections along the project frontage and safe access to the nearest transit stop, one mile away at the Five Mile Park & Ride stop, according to the city’s letter. If a sidewalk extension beyond the property's frontage isn’t feasible, the company may be required to contribute to a pedestrian improvement fund or future city project.

Construction is proposed to begin in fall of this year, pending permit approval, according to the environmental checklist.