Spokane County neighbors “furious” as street name changed without warning

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Neighbors living near Spokane International Airport woke up to an unexpected change this week when their street name was suddenly switched from South Aspen Road to South Lancer Road without warning.

“We’ve all lived here for at least a year, year and a half. And now all of a sudden we have a new street name,” said Taunya Loncon, who lives on the street.

The change came as a complete surprise to neighbors. Many first noticed when they saw the street signs had been replaced, even before they received any official notification from the county.

“My husband came around the corner and the sign was different. And that’s what the mail carrier said, that she came around the corner and the sign was different,” Loncon explained.

It wasn’t until after the signs were changed that residents received letters from Spokane County informing them of their new addresses.

While changing a street name might seem like a minor adjustment, the impact on neighbors is significant. They now face the daunting task of updating their address on everything.

“We have to contact everyone. Our mortgage companies, our doctor’s offices, our mail, you name it. Everything,” Loncon said, expressing frustration about the situation.

According to the letter sent by the county, Spokane Regional Emergency Services identified these addresses as “out of sequence and incorrect,” claiming the inconsistency could potentially delay emergency responders.

County officials explained that when new developments are built, street names chosen by developers sometimes don’t align with existing street names.

When too many addresses end with the same street name in different areas, it can make locating emergencies more difficult.

However, county officials did not confirm if this specific issue was the reason for changing South Aspen Road to South Lancer Road.

“This is absolutely crazy that this has been done to us,” Loncon said. “I want it back to our street name. I don’t want the headache of having to go through everything.”