How the Future Land Use Map Is Changing in Vinegar Flats
The City’s Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map (FLUM) sets the zoning ceiling along Inland Empire Way and the areas around it — the corridor at the heart of Vinegar Flats. The plan on the table would set this area’s direction as an urban hub: the designation under which high-density apartments can be built and mixed-use venues can operate, with the traffic and other secondary impacts that come with both. Public comment closes at 5 p.m. Friday, October 2 — there isn’t much time left to weigh in.
Why traffic is part of this conversation: an important aspect of the 2046 plan would reconnect Inland Empire Way to US 195 (linking back through to Cheney-Spokane Road) — part of what’s driving this corridor’s push toward higher-density, mixed-use development.
Current vs. proposed
Side-by-side view of the designation as it stands today and as proposed.
Full detail map
The City’s updated DRAFT Future Land Use Map for Vinegar Flats (version dated September 22, 2026), showing parcel-level detail of the proposed changes.
Have a better idea for Vinegar Flats? Draw it.
Print a blank map, sketch where you think growth belongs and what should be protected, and send it to the City as your public comment before 5 p.m. Friday, October 2.
Print a map and draw your ideas →Join the Vinegar Flats Planning Committee
Cafe Coco — 24 W. Main Ave., Spokane. All neighbors welcome. We’ll turn what neighbors told us on September 24 into committee recommendations for the Neighborhood Council.
One newsletter and one comment period won’t decide this. LHNC has formed a Vinegar Flats Planning Committee so neighbors along the corridor can work through what this plan means together — not just react to it one comment at a time. Make sure you’re on our email or phone list to be notified. There are two ways in:
Visit latahnc.com/newsletter-sign-up to join the mailing list — that’s where committee updates and meeting times will go out first.
Call (509) 724-0331 and leave your name and phone number — we’ll add you to the committee’s phone bank so you hear about it that way instead.
Print this and share it: download the one-page flyer and hand it to your neighbors — every single person who signs up helps. Download the flyer (PDF) →
Next Steps: Make Your Voice Heard
You don’t need to be a planning expert. You know this neighborhood. Tell the City what matters to you, what you want to protect, and how you think Vinegar Flats should grow. Choose one, or several, of the ways below.
Printable version: tinyurl.com/vinegar-next-steps
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By 5 p.m. Fri, Oct 2
Send an email to PlanSpokane
Email PlanSpokane@spokanecity.org with the subject “PlanSpokane 2046 Public Comments — Vinegar Flats.” You can also copy our District 2 Council Members, Kate Telis (ktelis@spokanecity.org) and Paul Dillon (pdillon@spokanecity.org).
Keep it simple and personal: say where you live, own property, farm or run a business; what you value; which part of the map you support, question or want changed; why it matters; and what you’d like the City to do instead. A thoughtful paragraph is enough.
Need a place to start? Sample email
Dear PlanSpokane team,
My name is [name], and I [live / own property / operate a business] on [street] in Vinegar Flats. One of the things I value most about this neighborhood is [____]. After reviewing the proposed Future Land Use Map, I am concerned about / supportive of [____] because [____]. As the City plans for future growth, I would like to see [____].
Thank you for considering input from the people who live and work in Vinegar Flats.
[name]Ideas you may want to comment on
- Agriculture and farmland: which areas should stay designated Agriculture, and why.
- Latah Creek: areas that need more protection as designations and zoning are developed.
- Wildlife: what you see and where. Local observations help show what makes this area unique.
- Location and scale of growth: if you support more housing, say where it fits best (for example, near Inland Empire Way or US 195, with lower intensity near the creek and farmland).
- Neighborhood-serving businesses: what shops or services would actually be useful here, and where.
- Transportation and safety: Inland Empire Way, US 195, walking, biking, intersections, emergency access and evacuation.
- Character: what should still be recognizable about Vinegar Flats 20 years from now.
- The process: if residents need more information, meetings or time, you can ask for that too.
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By 5 p.m. Fri, Oct 2
Put your comment on the City’s online map
The City’s interactive StoryMap lets you drop a comment on the exact parcel, street, creek area or intersection you care about: tinyurl.com/flum-map. It works best on a computer or tablet.
How to leave a map comment
- Open the link and click Interactive Land Use Map.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page (it takes a moment to load), click the checkbox, then Explore.
- Close the two overlay maps at the side so you can see the map.
- Zoom into Vinegar Flats: Inland Empire Way, south of Wentel Grant Park.
- Click a spot, type a short comment and submit. You can attach documents too.
Rather sketch it? Print a map and draw your own ideas →
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As soon as possible
Ask for more time
Many neighbors believe October 2 doesn’t give Vinegar Flats enough time to understand the changes and respond. Send your request to PlanSpokane@spokanecity.org and Spencer Gardner, Director of Planning & Economic Development (sgardner@spokanecity.org), and copy Council Members Telis and Dillon. Subject: “Request to extend PlanSpokane comment period — Vinegar Flats.”
“I live in Vinegar Flats, where the draft Future Land Use Map proposes some of the largest changes in the city. Many neighbors are only now learning about them. I respectfully ask the City to extend the formal comment period for Vinegar Flats so residents have time to understand the proposal and respond meaningfully.”You can also sign the community petition “Give Spokane More Time to Plan”.
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By 5 p.m. Fri, Oct 2
Send a written comment
Prefer paper? Pick up a pre-addressed PlanSpokane comment postcard at the Development Services Center, 3rd floor of Spokane City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Or mail your comment to Kevin Freibott, City of Spokane, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201.
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Wed, Sept 30 · 6 p.m.
Speak to City Council
City Council Chambers, Spokane City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. You can also comment by phone or WebEx. Sign up to speak online; the form closes at 6 p.m. that day. Express testimony lets you speak near the start; open forum is for topics not on the agenda. Plan for two minutes.
A simple comment: who you are, one thing you value, one concern or idea, one thing you’d like the City to consider, and thank you. Save what you write, since you can reuse it at the Plan Commission hearing in November.
Our Chair will speak for the Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council. Even if you don’t want to speak, please come. A room full of Vinegar Flats neighbors sends a message of its own.
Gather at 5 p.m. outside City Hall: SUN and other nature lovers will meet just outside City Hall, near Council Chambers, for a peaceful demonstration calling attention to the lack of environmental planning, then head inside together for the 6 p.m. meeting.
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By Thu, Oct 1
Add your name to our neighborhood’s message
The Vinegar Flats Planning Committee will compile the statements it adopts into one recommendation for the Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council to send to the City. One unified message from our council carries more weight than any of us alone.
Know neighbors who support it but can’t come out? Email their names and addresses to latahvalleync@gmail.com by Thursday, October 1, or return a Support Sheet at a working session, so they’re counted with our final submission.
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Anytime
Tell one neighbor
This may be the easiest and most important thing you can do. Share this page and ask: “Have you seen what is being proposed for Vinegar Flats?” Then help them find the map or send a comment.
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After Oct 2
Stay involved
October 2 isn’t the end of the process.
- October 19: the hearing version of the map is published. Check what changed for Vinegar Flats and update your comments.
- November 2: Plan Commission public hearing (continued to November 9 if needed).
- Early 2027: City Council hearing.
Make sure you’re on our newsletter list for meeting dates, hearing information and action alerts.
A good comment doesn’t have to be perfect
Be specific. Be constructive. And speak in your own voice.