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Spokane’s University District |
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Written On: May/June 2005 |
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Written By: by Steve Lowry |
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What was once a vast, dilapidated railway transfer station and stockyard on the eastern edge of downtown Spokane is evolving into a technology, research and education hub. Roughly 100-square blocks stretching east to west from the edge of Spokane’s downtown to the border of Gonzaga University has been dubbed Spokane's University District.
Gonzaga's campus sprawls across the northern third of the district. The middle section is bounded by the Spokane River and Riverside Avenue, the main artery through downtown. This area will predominantly be filled by Riverpoint campus, a collaboration between Washington State University, Eastern Washington University and the community colleges of Spokane to create a branch campus that can serve 12,000 to 15,000 students. The southern third of the district, between Riverside Avenue and Interstate 90, will include student and residential housing and space for new businesses.
"We recognize that the new economy is based on innovation and creativity," says Tom Reese, Spokane’s economic development advisor. "And what we’re trying to do in the University District is create an environment where new business and retail and residential and recreational opportunities can happen."
One of the buildings to be renovated is the century old Schade Towers, originally built as a brewery, which was purchased by a team of investors headed by Barry Baker.
"The university has no plans for a student union center, so that is one role this building could take on," says Baker, CEO of Baker Construction. "We see this building as a legacy to Spokane."
While there is excitement about the cultural potential of Schade Towers, the focus of the University District is still science and technology. The Riverpoint campus area will attract high-tech, high-end businesses, says Kim Pearman-Gillman, senior vice-president at Avista Corp.
Health care will be another focus in the University District. The Medical District on Spokane’s South Hill is adjacent to the south end of the University District, and new research facilities and a large nursing center in the works will allow health care to expand.
"We have the laboratories, we have the researchers, we have the educators, we have the business-creation specialists," says Pearman-Gillman, who co-chairs the planning and organization group for the University District with Reese. "It’s set up specifically to help us commercialize products. And when you commercialize products, you’re starting the basis of a company. Now you have to put all the other infrastructure in place, and we have those tools."
The infrastructure includes a new bridge, completed last year, connecting Trent Avenue and Spokane Falls Boulevard. The city also plans to extend Riverside Avenue east to Hamilton Street on the other side of the district, which would flow traffic around campus.
This city’s plan also includes a walking bridge with space on top for shops and sitting areas. This bridge will connect the southern housing area of the district to the Riverpoint campus.
Bringing in 12,000 students and new industries requires new places for those people to live. This is an opportunity for the private sector to benefit from growth in the public sector, Pearman-Gillman said. It gives the private sector an opportunity to become more involved in the creation process, which attracts developers.
Businesses have historically located near raw materials. Today those basic materials aren’t timber or water, they’re knowledge and research, said Jon Eliassen, CEO of the Spokane Economic Development Council, in an 2004 interview with the Spokesman-Review. With scientists, professors and students at the Spokane campus, businesses and jobs will grow up all around, he said.
Steve Lowry is a journalism student at Gonzaga University.
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