Lights, Cameras.... Action!
by Luke
Tolley and Karen Tuininga
What’s all the fuss?
No one can argue that Hillyard is packed full of History. East Hillyard is especially colorful, full of rail town clichés and widely believed misconceptions. East Hillyard has always had a certain image; many still call it “Dogtown” despite many people’s efforts to stomp out the nickname. But the real history of East Hillyard is told not in a name; it is in the stories. For the last half century East Hillyard has been comprised of the workplaces and homes of hard working men and women just trying to get by along with a couple of large core employers bringing jobs to “Dogtown.” For the most part they didn’t give a damn what you called their neighborhood, but in the last handful of years East Hillyard has gone through a change. Suddenly the name, the image, has become important.
New high-tech white-collar and highly
respected blue-collar businesses have moved into the neighborhood
becoming a catalyst for change. These new businesses have brought
with them dynamic personalities with loud voices. No longer is the
voice of Hillyard solely of that of the Market St. corridor. Now
East and West Hillyard speak together. East Hillyard has become a
neighborhood asking a lot of questions: Why do we have quarter
million dollar buildings being built on dirt roads with no sewer access?
Why are we paying the lion’s share of the taxes for Spokane and getting
only a pittance of benefit? Why are we not permitted to grow as a
neighborhood because of the confines of our infrastructure?
Dynamic catalysts for change do not wait for answers. They have
raised a fuss.
The North/South Corridor freeway project is going to physically split
Hillyard east and west. Some say it could divide our community
while others say that, with the proper infrastructure, it could become a
conduit to bring people and products in and out of all of Hillyard.
East Hillyard is full of great opportunities. Land is cheap and
sold in smaller parcels than most industrial areas. That is why
the people of East Hillyard have come together to form the Hillyard
Industrial Park (HIP).
The full scope of the HIP has yet to be
defined, but for now the HIP has a plan to tell their story. The
HIP is currently raising money to make a video presentation to give a
voice to East Hillyard. When the goals of the HIP are successful,
it will benefit all of Hillyard and, indeed, with the coming of the
freeway, all of Spokane.
The Future
In the near future Hillyard will be a very different place.
Downtown Hillyard and the HIP will be physically divided by four to
eight lanes of traffic. However, there will be interchanges at the
two most traveled east-west streets. These interchanges will
deposit people on either side of that traffic to find a much-changed
neighborhood. To the west, thanks to entities like Market Street
Market and the Historic Hillyard Partnership one will find a Pikes Place
Market-esque boulevard of commerce; a pedestrian friendly mix of old and
new. No doubt Hillyard will always have her beloved antique shops,
but they will be complemented by curio and specialty shops. Here
you will still find Hillyard’s historic taverns and bars, but also
quaint coffee shops and cafes. Don’t forget Market Street Market
to the north, one of the starting places of reshaping West Hillyard’s
commercial future, and the Hillyard Heritage Museum, honoring
Hilllyard’s past.
If you head east off of Francis or Wellesley, one might that find the HIP looks much the same as always, but something vastly different. Other than more paved roads, Hillyard will be united by fiber optic communication, an invisible boost to economic growth. New buildings will stand next to the old anchors that have kept East Hillyard strong for half a century and strong. Businesses of all kinds, from recreational vehicle dealers to building contractors will work together for the benefit of all. Day to day, business will carry on as usual. But when something comes up the HIP will come together on a united front with a single mind.
The HIP hasn’t driven out the residential
elements existing in East Hillyard. Indeed, the residents have gained
from increased property values and improved infrastructure.
Spokane's young professionals and business leaders mix with the native
Hillyardites because they will want to live in Hillyard now that they
can hop on the N/S Corridor to get wherever they need to go. They
will mingle in a revitalized community with parks and a great golf
course for recreation. Overall, the HIP will be open for smart
responsible development for the mutual benefit of all.
The Present
Within months, the HIP will be telling our story with the hopes that we
can attract upstart businesses that will want to be located in or near
the Hillyard Industrial Park, and that the Spokane city government will
stand up and recognize the future needs of Hillyard.
The HIP still needs your input; this thing is by no means done. Funds
need to be raised and decisions still need to be made for the video and
that’s just the beginning. We would love to have any and all interested
to attend the next meeting of the HIP on May 13th 2005 at the Beacon
Hill Events Center, 4848 E Wellesley at 10 a.m. We will be hearing
presentations from production companies and discussing the progress of
the fund raising.
| Vol. 2, Issue 8 |
April 20, 2005 |