Paddling for Permits
Published on June 8, 2009
City seeking comments on Whitewater Park proposal.
The City of Spokane Planning Department is now taking written comments on the permits that will be required to build a whitewater kayaking park in the Spokane River a mile downstream of the Spokane Falls adjacent to the Sandifur bridge. 
Specifically, the two requirements are a shoreline conditional use permit and a floodplain development permit. To review the project timeline and other materials submitted with the permit applications you can link to the Planning Department’s website here.
According to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the park will feature U-shaped, in-stream flow structures, to be constructed with boulders on the river bottom, to enhance the white water experience. The project will also include improvements on both banks of the river, including a parking area, trail, and restroom on the south bank, and a picnic area and shelter on the north bank.
The proposed park has been a key objective of the Friends of the Falls citizen group which, has raised over $200,000 in private donations for the project to supplement nearly $1 million in state funds. The plan has generated lots of buzz among the region’s whitewater enthusiasts. On the other hand, concerns have also been raised that the park may be detrimental to the river’s ecology because it would be located in an important spawning area for native trout.
The city reports it will take written comments on the proposed permits through June 26th.