The summer of the Spokane River Corridor Advisory Committee was a good summer indeed. On Oct. 28, we presented to City Council the formal request from the Natural Open Space Committee (NOSC) for the council to pass a resolution reaffirming the goals and ideals contained in the City Comprehensive Plan, the Parks Master Plan and Vision 2030. In addition, we suggested that the city use land use planning tools to shape the future of the entire Spokane River Corridor.

The council's response was to direct staff to draft a resolution following the NOSC proposal. If the council adopts the resolution, then our summer will have been a smashing success because this resolution puts everyone; citizens, staff and developers, on notice that this council thinks that public access to our river is the focal point for any development of this corridor.

Hopefully we have planted the seed of an idea that land use regulations, in conjunction with the city's acquisition of the railroad property, is the way to shape a "river-centric" neighborhood in the corridor. We can hope that seed will sprout sooner rather than later. When that happens, the appropriate advisory committee or public process will be instituted.

The only disappointments were statements from the council that any zoning created would come too late to shape the vacant property in the corridor. Too late means closing the door after all the cows are out. In this instance there are still cows in the barn. The property has been vacant for a long time and there is a good chance that zoning can be implemented prior to total development. And there will always be cows in the barn because there will always be redevelopment in the Spokane River Corridor. Shaping a neighborhood is a long process that can take decades to produce results but the sooner the council starts, the sooner we all benefit from the results. The resolution is a start.

What is next for the people who care about this corridor? For all of us, we need to remind the council that they should pass the proposed resolution. That means talking it up with council members, neighbors and at the public comment session of council meetings. For NOSC it means continued talk about the parks and trails that are envisioned in the city's planning documents. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the city to create a fabulous "river-centric" neighborhood. The "Coeur" of the Spokane River Corridor sits empty and we all need to fill it with our love and attention.

In September 2013, the council formed an Ad Hoc Committee for the purpose of "reviewing and recommending options for community use and access in the Spokane River Corridor from Huetter Road to the BLM property in Riverstone." That committee was administratively melded into the NOSC and has been working all summer to draft recommendations for the City Council. Chet Gaede worked with the Spokane River Corridor Advisory Committee.