[Vision2020] Corridor debate: Daily News

[Mark Solomon]

Corridor growth debate heats up at UI

A local activist and a university professor speak to development on the Palouse

By Ryan Bentley, Daily News staff writer

Friday, April 13, 2007 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM

Jeff Harkins said the Moscow community is the only thing that holds 
back a change in property use on the Palouse. Mark Solomon said the 
Palouse itself is a limitation.

Both acknowledged the need for growth in the region during a Thursday 
night forum at the University of Idaho sponsored by the UI Economics 
Club, but that's about as close as the two came to agreement on what 
should be done.

Harkins, a UI accounting professor, and Solomon, a local activist who 
recently filed a protest to water right transfers for a proposed 
large-scale development in the corridor just west of Moscow, debated 
development in the corridor along the Pullman-Moscow Highway. 
Corridor development has emerged as a hot topic over the last few 
years after Whitman County designated the area as a development zone.

Thursday's discussion revolved around growth laws, social conditions, 
water and how it applied to corridor growth.

Currently, the Hawkins Companies' proposed 700,000-square-foot 
shopping center and the construction of James Toyota's new dealership 
constitute the bulk of the emerging businesses in the corridor.

Harkins advocated a "market-take-charge" approach, where consumers 
decide what businesses locate in the area. He added that Moscow must 
honor state sovereignty lines if the Palouse is going to bolster its 
economic engine.

Solomon said Whitman and Latah counties must work together and select 
businesses that will offer low-impact practices and high-paying jobs 
on the Palouse.

While Harkins said college students need the part-time jobs a new 
shopping center would bring, Solomon said students would be better 
off studying and diving into the opportunities the university offers 
than wasting their time stocking shelves and running a cash register.

Instead, Solomon said, the Palouse should encourage intellectual 
based businesses that could employ students and pay them a living 
wage while adding to their education.

The differences between the two speakers comes from their perception 
of the natural resources of the Palouse.

Solomon believes Palouse residents face a water scarcity problem. He 
said growth can occur but it cannot be through a floodgate approach. 
Anyone who depends on groundwater will be in jeopardy if the area 
doesn't rein in development and quickly work to solve the problem of 
overusing the areas groundwater supply.

Harkins doesn't believe there are physical limitations to development 
of the Palouse. He said Whitman and Latah counties should be able to 
find an alternative water supply from the two counties that receive 
around 24 inches of rain a year.

The area needs to expand and grow to attract people to the area who 
will be able to work on the problem, Harkins said. The increased tax 
base will allow the two counties to pay for projects to solve water 
problems.

Part of the area's growth will occur in the corridor, Solomon and Harkins said.

Optimally, Solomon doesn't want development in the corridor. He said 
it will cause congestion, lead to sprawl and put pressure on the 
water supply in an area that is most likely a place where groundwater 
flows into the aquifer system. Growth should occur around existing 
urban areas and not be strung out along supply routes.

Harkins said the expansion of the Pullman-Moscow Highway from 
two-lanes to four-lanes is a huge step to connecting the two 
counties. Growth in the corridor should focus on connectivity between 
the two universities. Development should be led by entrepreneurs who 
foresee a need and aim to fill it.

Solomon doesn't foresee endless growth opportunities in the corridor. 
James Toyota and the proposed Hawkins Companies development grabbed a 
large portion of land available for development in the corridor. Any 
more growth will be by businesses that do not demand a large 
infrastructure.

Harkins said it's time for Latah County to destroy its image that it 
interferes with Whitman County business and focus on how it can 
remain competitive in the Palouse.

Solomon said Latah County doesn't have to compete. It doesn't need 
Wal-Marts and big-box stores to attract new businesses like 
Schweitzer Engineering Labs. He likened Moscow to Boise before its 
building boom. Solomon said the area's natural beauty, way of life 
and opportunities will keep Latah County competitive.

Ryan Bentley can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 237, or by e-mail 
at rbentley at dnews.com.


At 1:14 PM -0700 4/13/07, lfalen wrote:
>Vary well said, as usual. I missed last nights debate. I was moving 
>hay until 6:00. How did it go?
>
>Roger
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