Balfour Park Expansion

Artist's rendering of expanded park. View is from the northeast corner of the park looking southwest toward the new library, public plaza and stage venue.

A partnership between the city and Spokane County Library District continues to frame the expansion of Balfour Park and construction of a new Spokane Valley Library. The existing park is located at 105 N. Balfour Road, at the northeast corner of a city block at E. Main and N. Balfour Road. The expansion, estimated to cost about $7 million, will integrate 5.6 acres of undeveloped land adjacent into the park, creating a library-park campus.

Balfour Park improvements are planned in two phases:

Phase I Improvements

The city has identified several improvements in Phase I and plans to move forward with construction in spring 2023. Improvements, including engineering and construction, were estimated to cost nearly $3.9 million. Unfortunately, construction bids submitted for Phase I in spring 2022 were significantly higher than estimated due to rapidly rising material costs, such as concrete and fuel. In addition, construction companies indicated they were busy with a backlog of projects. As a result, City Council approved delaying Phase I construction to early 2023.

Improvements planned in Phase I include:

Excavating and grading of the entire site
Adding water, electric, and sewer utilities
Developing a portion of the park pathways
Building out lighting, landscaping and irrigation
Demolishing existing restroom in the park
Constructing a new building to include a restroom, pump room for a future splash pad, and a small workspace for Spokane Valley Police Department.
Constructing an Events Plaza with a Veteran's Memorial

Phase II Improvements

The city has also identified features for a future Phase II project, including a park amphitheater, enhanced playground, picnic shelters, splashpad, and sports courts. The city tentatively plans to construct these features in 2024, depending on available funding.

Park History

Plans for Balfour Park's expansion date back to 2013 when the city and library district engaged a consultant to gather community input and develop a “conceptual site plan” for expanding the park and constructing a library. Residents had long voiced support for revitalizing this part of the city, often referred to as the “heart of Spokane Valley” and home to the city’s first retail mall in the 1970s and 1980s. The city put the expansion on hold until the library district could secure funding for a new facility.

The city moved forward with the park's expansion in 2021 after the district announced it had secured the necessary construction funds. View July 6, 2021 presentation to City Council on Balfour Park development. The city surveyed residents and held a community workshop in August 2021 to gather additional public input.

Construction of New Library: 2022-2023

The library district began construction on a new library in April 2022 on 2.8 acres of undeveloped land in the southwest corner of the park block at Sprague Ave. and N. Herald Road. The new facility will replace the current library on Main Avenue, which was built in 1955. It is scheduled to open in summer 2023, creating an emerging civic center in combination with City Hall (located across the street). Learn More

The district purchased the acreage from the city in 2013. The new library is projected to cost between $14 and $15 million. The district received a $2 million grant from the State Department of Commerce in 2021 to help build the facility. In addition to the grant, funding includes a loan from the Washington State Treasurer’s Office, library district capital savings and fundraised contributions. The city is contributing $1.3 million, which includes $461,000 of street improvements completed in 2021 and $839,000 in cash (representing the amount the district paid to the city when it acquired the 2.8 acres).

In 2021, the city repaved N. Herald, E. Main and N. Balfour, three of the streets that surround the park block, and constructed curb and gutters. This work was completed to prepare for the library construction.

Contacts

For more information about the park expansion, contact Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation Director John Bottelli at (509) 720-5400.

For information regarding the new public library, contact Communications Manager Jane Baker at Spokane County Library District, (509) 893-8205.