Disputed Spokane County land trade called off
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is cancelling a controversial land deal on Spokane’s West Plains. The agency and a development company, Blue Fern Management, had planned to swap 200 acres of state land in Latah Valley for a supermarket in Bellingham.
The deal generated a lot of backlash in Spokane from people who thought the land is more valuable as a natural area than as a housing development.
Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove says his agency heard that feedback and decided to give critics time to look for another opportunity for the property. He says it will continue managing the Thorpe land tract for up to two more years…