Riverside expansion, Mount Spokane master plan moving forward

Two planning processes for Spokane’s local state parks are moving forward.

Washington State Parks is holding an open house next week to discuss its preliminary recommendations for incorporating the Glen Tana property along the Little Spokane River into Riverside State Park, and the agency is applying for grants to fund the transfer of the land into public ownership.

For Mount Spokane State Park, the agency is looking for people to apply for a workshop this fall that will help develop recommendations for the park’s master plan, a document that will guide the next two decades of management at that park.

Both processes are meant to give the public a chance to weigh in on how they want to see the two parks managed.

Glen Tana

Officials have been working over the past several months to determine land designations and work out other details for the Glen Tana property, a former farm along the Little Spokane River that was purchased by the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy last year.

The conservancy planned to donate the property to the Spokane Tribe of Indians and Washington State Parks. The conservancy is serving as the interim owner until enough money is available to complete the transfer.

Gen Dial, the Washington State Parks planner overseeing the work, said the agency is applying for two grants from the Recreation and Conservation Office to fund the transfer. The grants add up to close to $6 million.

Meanwhile, state parks officials have been taking public input and working out its recommendations for how the land will be used once it becomes part of Riverside State Park.

The process began with a public meeting in September and continued with more public feedback in the spring. Now, the agency has a map detailing its proposals for land designations within the 1,000-acre property. The designations determine the level of development that could happen in those areas.

“Essentially, what we’re hearing is an interest in recreational access to the property, primarily for wildlife viewing and hiking,” Dial said.

Under the preliminary recommendation, a portion of the property near Rutter Parkway and Dorset Road would be designated for resource recreation, which would allow the construction of a parking lot, a vault toilet and a trailhead.

Most of the rest of the property would be considered a natural area, and a portion near the Little Spokane River would be considered a heritage area.

Dial said the part that would be designated a heritage area is the portion that will go to the Spokane Tribe of Indians to further their work on salmon restoration.

Washington State Parks is holding an open house at the Hive on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss the recommendation. After that meeting, the agency will produce a final recommendation, which will go before the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission in October.

Glen Tana is not open to the public. Dial said the agency needs to secure the money to finalize the transfer of the property first and complete the planning process. If all goes according to plan, she said, the property could open to the public in 2026.

Mount Spokane Master Plan

Parks officials began work on a new master plan for Mount Spokane State Park earlier this summer, beginning with a public forum in early June.

The document will look at the next 20 years and line out how the agency will deal with things like trail building, increased use, incorporating the Bear Creek Lodge property into the park and more.

Paul Knowles, Washington State Parks’ east side trails coordinator, said they are moving on to the next part of the process – developing concepts and specific recommendations for managing the park.

They’ll convene a full-day workshop at the Selkirk Lodge in September with members of the public to get their input on what should be in the plan.

The workshop will consist of 32 people chosen from a pool of applicants. Applications for the workshop are open until Friday and are available online.

“We really hope to get a diverse pool of applicants,” Knowles said. “That will ultimately lead to better recommendations.”

Knowles said they hope the workshop will result in concrete ideas for the plan, and that they should be able to publicly share the ideas that are being considered in December.

The plan is expected to be complete in June .