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Proposed park could preserve LL-area hillside
8/18/2010 12:07:29 PM
By Hope Brumbach
Splash Editor
A proposed 585-acre public park on the outskirts of Liberty Lake could possibly provide walking trails, offer expansive views of Spokane Valley and preserve open space inhabited by wildlife.
The land, near the Legacy Ridge development west of town, is part of the property formerly owned by Legacy Ridge developer Marshall Chesrown, who turned it over to AmericanWest Bank last year in lieu of foreclosure on millions in debt.
Forming a park from part of the property is the brainchild of Mark Pinch, a Liberty Lake man who has worked for years in the local real estate market. Pinch, who is representing AmericanWest in the proposal, has requested that Spokane County purchase the 585 acres for community use and conservation.
"I think this kind of stuff is what makes this community special," Pinch said in a recent interview. "This would just be spectacular."
Pinch nominated the "Vista Trails" property for Spokane County's Conservation Futures program, which uses property tax dollars to acquire land to preserve as open space. The county has purchased more than 5,000 acres of open space land since the program began in 1994. Conservation Futures property can't be developed as a typical park but remains in an "enhanced natural state," according to the program guidelines.
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For 2010, the Conservation Futures Committee will evaluate 35 nominations ranging from 920 acres to a half-acre in size, said Paul Knowles, a county park planner. A public meeting will be held sometime in October, and the county commissioners are scheduled to approve a final acquisition list in December, Knowles said.
Pinch said the "Vista Trails" property, located outside the Urban Growth Area to the southeast of Henry Road, is valued at $4.8 million, but the bank is willing to sell it for $2.6 million to the county. The bank is motivated by a "philanthropic spirit" and also a "lull in investment," Pinch said.
He envisions a seven-leg trail system with more than seven miles for hiking and biking. A parking area off Henry Road could serve the park area, he said.
"This area is going to grow and grow and grow," Pinch said. "These big open spaces are important to the development of our kids and our adults and to stay active and healthy."
As a longtime Liberty Lake resident, Pinch said he's spent years hiking and biking on the hillsides surrounding town. If the county chooses to acquire the Vista Trails property, he'd like to work for a public-access connection from the land to the Liberty Lake County Park, Pinch said.
"It's just a great spot. The amount of bird life up there is phenomenal," he said.
He feels he's uniquely positioned to advocate for the property, with years spent on the Centennial Trail board and his heavy involvement in the real estate investment community, said Pinch, who is a managing member with Black Commercial, Inc. in Spokane.
"Sure, you could say as a developer, these would make great home sites, and if the county passes on it, that's what you would see. And I hope I'm involved in that project because I want to see it done right," Pinch said. "But my first choice is to see it in the public domain."
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