Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District

The Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District Overlay Zone passed City Council 7-0 on 3/6/23. The Mayor will sign the ordinance by March 23, 2023 and the district will take effect April 23, 2023.

The Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood currently includes two National Register Historic Districts: The Marycliff-Cliff Park National Register Historic District which was listed in 1979 and the Ninth Avenue National Register Historic District listed in 1994. Those two districts include nearly 300 properties – but are those properties really protected for the future? National Register designation is an honorary listing, meant mostly to acknowledge an area’s history. It is not generally a regulatory tool. In Spokane, the Historic Preservation Office and Spokane Historic Landmarks Commission do have the ability to review demolitions that are proposed within our National Register Historic Districts and can also review the replacement structure. However, only designation of a district on the Spokane Register of Historic Places allows for property owners to take advantage of incentives when they improve an historic property like Special Tax Valuation and the Facade Improvement Grant. Additionally, local designation helps protect the “sense of place” of your neighborhood – the very essence of what makes a neighborhood special and unique.

Historic designation is one method of ensuring that changes to your neighborhood occur thoughtfully, preserving the fabric that people love— homes with history, vital dwellings that preserve the past, while acknowledging modern lifestyles. Historic district designation can preserve the essential features of a neighborhood, while permitting contemporary improvements and additions that contribute to the historic character of the area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Documents for Review

Ordinance for Historic District Overlay Zone

Cannon Streetcar Suburb District Nomination

Cannon Streetcar Suburb Design Standards & Guidelines
Cannon District Resource Forms

District Boundary Map

Contributing/Non-Contributing Map

Properties marked with a black dot are considered historic or “contributing” to the district. Those properties marked with a yellow dot are considered “non-contributing” either due to changes to the property over time or if they were constructed after 1955, the period of significance for the district.

SEPA Documents
SEPA Checklist Cannon LHD 11-17-2022

What are some of the benefits of a local historic district?

Stabilization of Property and Resale Values – Think of the realtor’s motto—location, location, location. Local historic district designation stabilizes neighborhoods by allowing for review of proposed demolitions of historic resources as well as by reviewing new infill in the neighborhood for compatibility. Districts also help to ensure that the physical integrity of individual properties is retained.

Promotes Redevelopment of Historic Properties – Local historic district designation encourages the adaptive reuse of historic buildings and results in the return of underutilized buildings to the community’s tax rolls. This promotion is through local property tax incentives that the Spokane Historic Preservation Office offers. We are also able to offer small matching facade improvement grant that was created by Councilmember Kinnear in 2018. We are able to match a project up to $5000 on the street-facing facade – it is a competitive grant fund, though (and we don’t have very much money in it!). We will be able to grant one or two projects each year.

A Better Quality of Life – Traditional neighborhoods like Cliff-Cannon with trees, parks and sidewalks are walkable communities geared toward people and pedestrians rather than the automobile. Local historic districts enable communities to preserve their unique character and create a “sense of place” that attracts residents and visitors alike.

Click on any of the links below to learn more about the many different aspects of Local Historic Districts:

Local Historic District Information

10 Benefits of Establishing a Local Historic District

Planning & Implementing a Local Historic District

Benefits for Property Owners

Timeline

Public Outreach/Internal Process:

October 7, 2016: Met with concerned neighbors about protection provisions in Cliff-Cannon’s Ninth Ave National Register District
April 11, 2017: Meeting with city staff and neighborhood concerning demolitions of 1021, 1025 and 1029 W 9th
September 5, 2017: Met with City Council Representatives and Neighborhood concerning demolitions within the Ninth Ave NR District
February 5, 2019: Presentation on local historic districts to Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood Council
April 16, 2019: Met with Neighborhood Council Chair and possible neighborhood liaison
August 27, 2019: Met with new neighborhood liaison to discuss the district
September 21, 2019: Lower South Hill Block Party
January 7, 2020: Neighborhood Council Meeting
January 23, 2020: Executive Committee/CCNC Meeting
February 3, 2020: Neighborhood Team Kickoff Meeting
February 4, 2020: Neighborhood Council Meeting Presentation
April 22, 2020: Filmed first Neighborhood Workshop (see below)
June 26-27, 2020: Staffed “Historic Preservation Pop-Up Table” in the neighborhood to continue outreach efforts
July 22, 2020: First Plan Commission Workshop
August 12, 2020: Second Plan Commission Workshop
December, 2020: Mailed postcards to all property owners with upcoming online workshop dates
January 28, 2021: Held first Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District online workshop (see below for presentation and video)
Major PAUSE for COVID!
April 5, 2022: Attend first Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood Council meeting since the start of the pandemic to update on historic district
May 3, 2022: Attend first in-person CCNC meeting to present on upcoming meetings for the district
May 5, 2022: Property owner mailing completed with information on the district as well as workshop dates
May 12, 2022: First workshop – What does it mean to live in a historic district?
June 14, 2022: Second workshop – Tailoring Design Guidelines for Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District
July 28, 2022: Third workshop – Overview and Discussion of Documents/Process
August/September 2022: Neighborhood Committee formed and begins weekly meetings
September 14, 2022: Ballots mailed to property owners within the proposed district. Ballots are out for 60 day period must be returned by November 11, 2022
November 14, 2022: 56% of property owners within the district vote in favor of the creation of the local historic district (324 Yes votes; 67 No votes, 186 ballots not returned counted as “no”)
November 16, 2022: SHLC opens public hearing
November 17, 2022: HP staff presents to City Council in Study Session on historic district
December 14, 2022: HP staff presents workshop to Plan Commission
December 21, 2022: SHLC meeting – hearing on Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District with final vote
January 25, 2023: Hearing by Plan Commission on recommendation to City Council
February 2023: City Council process (City Council Packet)

Project Relaunched in 2022

After a delay due to the pandemic, the Historic Preservation Office held a series of in-person workshops to discuss the status of the project, answer questions, incorporate feedback, and initiate the 60-day voting process. Property owners in the proposed Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District were mailed a letter with more information on May 4th, 2022.