the vision

This project is rooted within the Fifth Avenue community and is shaped by the historical context that informs the realities of today. Built through intentional coalition-building, in partnership with local organizations and community leaders, we hope to help restore balance in a neighborhood that has long experienced systemic inequities within the Spokane community. At its core, this work is about honoring the past, uplifting the present, and shaping a more equitable future, all centering around the heart and voice of the Fifth Ave community, which in turn will help strengthen the Spokane community as a whole.

Building a future that lasts and a community that stands strong!

5th Avenue Forward envisions a community-led future centering reconnection, diversity, cultural vibrancy, and a safe and healthy environment.

Revitalization Goals

5th Avenue Forward envisions a community-led future centering reconnection, diversity, cultural vibrancy, and a safe and healthy environment. This initiative builds on the strengths of East Central’s multicultural history while addressing the legacy of redlining, displacement, and disinvestment. The core goals include:

Preserving and expanding affordable housing

Reclaiming public spaces for safety, community use, and cultural identity

Establishing a vibrant and inclusive commercial district that reflects the community it serves

Strengthening local Black- and BIPOC-owned businesses

Enhancing mobility and infrastructure without harm

Investing in parks, trail systems, and green spaces as healing and gathering places

This vision is rooted in racial equity, intergenerational well-being, and community self-determination.

Ensuring Community Benefits

5th Ave Forward focuses on community benefits by putting residents and local leaders at the center of planning, development, and investment:

  • Public accountability through open forums and regular steering meetings

  • Local ownership structures, such as community land trusts

  • Job creation pipelines with workforce development and contracting opportunities for local residents and small businesses

  • Transparent data and maps to track outcomes and ensure alignment with community priorities

  • Partnerships with culturally rooted organizations, ensuring decision-making reflects the true makeup of East Central

This is about creating lasting infrastructure that benefits current residents—not just future ones.

Anti-Gentrification Safeguards

  • Legislation (SB 5853) allowing for surplus highway land to be redeveloped for community benefit, not market-rate speculation

  • Development of community land trusts to keep housing permanently affordable

  • Mixed-income housing strategies to maintain economic diversity

  • Homeownership support including credit repair, financial literacy, and down payment assistance

  • Zoning advocacy and engagement to prevent exclusionary land use changes

  • Partnerships with Black-led and BIPOC-led organizations to ensure equity in development and funding

These safeguards were shaped by decades of advocacy and the direct voices of residents who’ve endured displacement before—and won’t again.

Gentrification without displacement is the cornerstone of this plan. Anti-gentrification safeguards in place or in progress include:

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Timeline & Phases

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Timeline & Phases •

    • Community forums and strategy sessions with residents, businesses, and civic leaders

    • Partnership developed with the City of Spokane Planning

    • Drafting of the 5th Avenue Initiative Community Strategy (2021)

    • EWU mapping project and demographic research

    • Testimonies led to the passage of SB 5853, opening up WSDOT land for redevelopment

    • Formation of the BIPOC Housing Subcommittee

    • Sandy Williams’ vision formalized through the CMC HEO Committee

    • Tragic loss of Sandy Williams in a 2022 plane crash—her legacy continues to guide the work

    • Biweekly 5th Ave forward steering meetings and weekly core team meetings

    • Black Development Meeting launched a model for locally owned housing and economic projects

    • First financial literacy and homeownership workshops

    • Storytelling events and data collection begin to shape the revitalization plan

    • Launch of Smart Growth America-funded Community Connectors Program

    • Finalization of revitalization zone maps, outreach lists, and land use priorities

    • Appointment of Jillisa Winkler as Executive Director of the Carl Maxey Center

    • Begin infrastructure and housing development on repurposed WSDOT land

    • Launch community land trust and mixed-income housing pilot

    • Expand cultural, commercial, and community programming

    • Monitor, adjust, and report regularly through an equity and community lens