SPOKANE, Wash. — A newly proposed ordinance would remove building height limits in downtown Spokane. The hope is that this could help address Spokane’s housing challenges.
“We have a housing crisis right now. We don’t have enough homes for people who live in this community.,” said Erin Hut, Director of Communications for the City of Spokane. “So building more housing is incredibly important. We want to incentivize businesses to utilize downtown and have a presence there we have to build spaces for businesses.”
The current maximum height for a building in downtown Spokane is 12 stories. The downtown core does not have a maximum building height limit.
The interim zoning ordinance aims to encourage housing and other economic development in the area. If approved, the hope is that it would create more housing options for different income levels and create more jobs in the downtown area.
“This proposal is a forward-thinking initiative that moves us toward a more dynamic and affordable Spokane,” Mayor Lisa Brown said. “By eliminating building height limits, we can unlock new opportunities for housing, business growth, and job creation.”
4 Degrees Real Estate said it sees the vision in this ordinance’s plan.
“Do you bring the people down and all the amenities and good stuff follow or do you have to create that to get the people down there?” said Jordan Tampien, the co-founder of 4 Degrees Real Estate. “I think as long as we’re moving forward on both of those with creative solutions, downtown is going to come back in a great way.”
For that reason, Tampien is a proponent of the plan.
“I think addressing height limits is just one great tool to help us address building affordable housing in Spokane. Height limits allow us to put more units on a smaller space, allows sites that may have otherwise never got developed, have a chance to have buildings on them,” said Tampien.
The City Council is expected to vote on this at the end of March. If approved by the City Council, the ordinance will last for six months from the date it is signed by Mayor Brown.
That means developers would have to submit their applications within that time frame if they want to build without those height restrictions. If the city receives good feedback there is possibility that the ordinance could be extended.
You can provide feedback on the proposed ordinance here.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
