COVER STORY

construction was well underway, boosted by the annexation of 644 acres added to the Liberty Lake municipal boundaries with the go-ahead from the Spokane County Boundary Review Board. Greenstone went to work, building 495 homes and 45 townhouses.

At the time, Frank talked about “heavy emphasis on urban character that will give us the ability to make this a real part of Liberty Lake.” Three years before the groundbreaking of a pedestrian bridge over I-90 near the Harvard Road overpass that would give residents on the south said safe access to the Centennial Trail and pave the way for north-siders to reach sites like Pavilion Park, the Liberty Lake Farmers Market and a trio of golf courses, Frank spoke in tones of community unification.

“The goal of the River District is that it will become an integrated part of Liberty Lake where the residents are integrated with the rest of the community,” he said.

Looking back on those early years, Frank said Greenstone “is happy with what’s on the ground now” considering hurdles like two national recessions, a pandemic, escalating construction costs and supply chain issues.

“We have parks, open space, trails and a diversity of housing products,” he said.

As for NoLL, Frank said friendly retail environments like those found in Spokane neighborhoods like Garland and the South Perry District serve as patterns.

“It’s like a small-town main street,” Frank said.

Tale of Two Cities

Hugh and Jolene Severs moved from Spokane Valley to the River District 14 years ago when the area was just sprouting up and the north side was, in Hugh’s words, “a bunch of nothing at the time.”

The Severs have raised their two sons in a neighborhood that has grown as quickly as their children. The divide between the wellestablished south side of town and the River District, however, has presented challenges over the years.

“We have a lot of friends in Rocky Hill and Legacy Ridge,” Hugh said. “We certainly miss out on some things living on the north side. Anytime after 5 p.m., we don’t really go over to the south side. With the traffic, we’re probably not going to get a table.”

Like many in the River District, the Severs are looking forward to the opening of the Kramer Overpass. With one son at Ridgeline High School and another at Selkirk Middle School, any break in congestion is welcome.

“I think more than anything, it will add better circulation,” Hugh said. “I just think it’s going to pull more people toward the center of town.”

Jolene said she has been impressed with the NoLL District development, describing it as “a mini-Kendall Yards.”

Since NoLL cropped up, longtime Liberty Lake resident Dave Himebaugh has been venturing over to meet clients at The Design Center by Greenstone in his role as a financial advisor. He and his wife Debbie moved to Liberty Lake in 1990 and have seen layer-upon- layer of change.

“There was the interstate and Appleway and that was about it when we first moved here,” Himebaugh said.

A member of the city’s Parks and Arts Commission, Himebaugh has been part of an effort to bring projects to the north side such as the Daughters of the American Revolution memorial at Orchard Park and a new Story Walk feature, similar to the one in Rocky Hill Park, that will make its premiere in Orchard Park this month.

“It’s an area that’s drawing a lot of people,” Himebaugh said. “They’re not really building on the south side.”

Water Works

Regardless of which direction Liberty Lake grows, the supply of sewer and water services is essential. No one knows that better than BiJay Adams, general manager of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water