The proposed light-rail transit line that would run between downtown Spokane and Liberty Lake could spark private-sector development of more than 1 million square feet of commercial space and up to 4,200 residential units in neighborhoods surrounding stations on the line, a new study says.


A good deal of that development would be expected to take place around the Liberty Lake station, the proposed eastern terminus of the light-rail line, where a new town center could spring up featuring multistory office buildings, a regional retail center, a hotel, and multifamily housing, the study says.


The study was conducted by Clinton, N.J.-based Zimmerman-Volk Associates Inc. for the Spokane Transit Authority, which would oversee development of the light-rail line. As envisioned, the 15.2-mile-long line would have 14 stations stretching between the STA Plaza downtown and Liberty Lake. If development of the line proceeds, the system, which is estimated to cost between $540 million and about $600 million, could be operational as early as 2008. The next step in planning for the project will be a public-education program, as well as a series of studies updating information such as ridership forecasts.


The value of the economic-impact study is to show the private sector that, as with many other light-rail systems around the nation, there is in fact development opportunity around the stations, says Glenn Miles, transportation manager at the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, which is charged with planning local transportation efforts for Spokane and Whitman counties.


While the economic impact of building the amount of commercial and residential space estimated in the Zimmerman-Volk study would be great, no dollar amount has been assigned to the private-sector economic-development potential of the light-rail line; that assessment will come in the next phase of the study, which is expected sometime later this year, Miles says.


The study named six of the proposed 14 stations on the light-rail line as the most likely for development, using criteria such as the availability of land and vacant buildings and what development already has taken place or is planned in each area. They are: the Convention Center station; the Trent Avenue station; the Spokane County Fairgrounds station; the University City station; the Sullivan Road station; and the Liberty Lake station.


Each of those areas has unique qualities that predispose it toward a specific mix of residential and commercial development around the stations, the study says. In most cases, however, the exact locations of the stations within those areas hasnt been decided, says Jill Lamb, STAs public relations coordinator for the light-rail project.


The convention center station has strong residential and commercial potential because so much land around the proposed station location at Bernard and Riverside is underutilized, mostly as parking lots, the study says. The study envisions mixed-use buildings on the properties, with retail and office space and a few floors of residential units at the top. By 2025, the area could support development of 150,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet of commercial space, and 100 to 200 residential units, the study says. Development of a parking garage probably would be necessary because providing street-level parking at any building would be cost-prohibitive, it says.


The Trent station would sit on the southern edge of the Riverpoint Higher Education Park and would have the potential to link downtown Spokane with the campus through mixed-use development, the study says. In particular, the study says that the area has the potential to support 350 to 550 residential housing units, and 325,000 square feet to 475,000 square feet of commercial space, which might include office, classroom, or research facilities. The residential units possibly could be college dormitories, the study says.


Development around the fairgrounds station, southeast of the fairgrounds itself, would hinge on working around the Union Pacific Railroad rail yard south of the site. Without the rail yard, there could be direct access from Sprague Avenue to the station area. Leaving the yard intact, or replacing it with an STA rail-maintenance facilitywhich is being consideredwill greatly compromise the station areas development potential, the study says. The study envisions the addition of 75,000 square feet to 125,000 square feet of commercial space around the station, and 550 to 600 residential units.


The University City station area, at University Road and Appleway Boulevard, currently is unattractive and lacks amenities, but has the potential to be redeveloped into a town center-like, mixed-use project, the study says. The potential to add between 100,000 and 200,000 square feet of commercial space and 400 to 500 residential units, however, would hinge on attracting one or more new anchor uses that could change the areas market position, the study says.


The Sullivan Road station most likely would located just east of Sullivan, near Bogue Lane, at its intersection with Sprague Avenue. The study envisions the addition of residential projects around the station and commercial uses on Sprague. The study says that development of 55,000 square feet to 65,000 square feet of commercial space there is possible, and 300 to 400 residential units.


The Liberty Lake station, likely near Mission Avenue and Signal Road, would be adjacent to significant retail and residential development, recreation, and big employers, and as such, has strong potential for development, the study says. It projects the development of between 600,000 square feet and 900,000 square feet of commercial space near the Liberty Lake station, and between 2,000 and 2,500 residential units.