A large planned unit development in the Wandermere area, tentatively named Stone Horse Bluff, appears to be moving forward again after being in limbo for years.


Spokane County has approved a road plan and the vacation of two current streets for the 454-lot project that Spokane developer Harlan D. Douglass is proposing.


Douglass declines to comment on the project, but documents filed with the county indicate that he plans to develop the property through a company called Stone Horse LLC.


The Spokane County Commission agreed in October to vacate portions of Morton and Center streets that fell within the 88-acre subdivision site, which is located just east of U.S. 395 between Farwell Road and the Wandermere Golf Course.


Matt Zarecor, the countys land development section manager, says the recent approval of the road and drainage plan clears the way for Stone Horse LLC to build the access roads required inside the subdivision.


Once the roads, curbs, and sidewalks are built or bonded, the subdivision can be given final approval by the county commissioners, Zarecor says.


Proposed street names inside the development have an equine theme, such as Thoroughbred Lane and Appaloosa Lane, the road plan shows.


The homes in the 20-block subdivision typically would be one to two stories high and would have about 1,500 square feet to 2,000 square feet of living space, with 20-foot deep front yards and 15-foot deep backyards on all lots, according to the site plan on file with Spokane County.


As envisioned, the project would be developed in eight phases, and ultimately would have an average density of about six and a half houses an acre, with an average lot size of about 6,000 square feet, and a number of open green spaces. The smallest lots would be 5,500 square feet, and the largest about 11,000 square feet, according to the site plan.


As originally proposed in 1995, the development was to include 606 homes on 108 acres. Douglass requested a time extension from the county in October 2006 to complete the street and drainage work for the subdivision.


The extensive application file cites litigation with the Washington state Department of Transportation, which needed 21 acres of the original property for right of way to build an interchange for its North Spokane Corridor, as a reason for the delay.


DOT spokesman Al Gilson says the department ultimately bought 27 acres there for $3.2 million in 2004, including a 21-acre swath through the project site that separates 20 lots at the northeast corner of the site from the rest of the development.


Zarecor says that developers frequently complete roads and curbs in a project and post a bond assuring that the sidewalks will be completed. With the time extension, Stone Horse LLC has until August 2009 to complete the infrastructure for the subdivision.


Once the final plat is approved by the county commissioners, the lots can be sold, Zarecor says.


Contact Jeanne Gustafson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at jeanneg@spokanejournal.com.