As the CEO of NAI BLACK and 2020 Chairman of the board of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, I have an interesting perspective on current events in our great community.

I am so honored to be asked to write ‘Lilacs and Lemons.’ Vince Bozzi’s talent was to bring up both with flair, and he is a tough act to follow. I sure miss my friends Vince and Emily. I loved seeing them at Spokane events, and life will never be quite the same without them. All of our lives have changed from this dreadful pandemic.

“If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade…” I know Vince and Emily are laughing at me from heaven as I try and walk in their big shoes, if only for one page of their wonderful magazine.

Lilacs to the new Amazon 1.3 million square foot fulfillment facility under construction in the Spokane Valley. Having another one thousand Amazon employees will put Amazon in the top two for private employment in Spokane, when added to the four thousand employees at the 2.6 million square foot West Plains facility off the freeway at the Medical Lake interchange. The new facility will decrease shipping times for customer orders of larger items and the jobs are good paying jobs.

Lemons to the City of Spokane building department. They are super slow during Covid to approve building plans and do inspections. Then when the project finally gets ready for a certificate of occupancy, they blackmail developers with all kinds “out of the blue” requirements before they issue even a temporary certificate of occupancy. An example of this is unused water lines that we had to remove in the middle of Howard Street at the last minute capped at the trunk line rather than at the building. They use remodeling to require all kinds of offsite work like fixing curbs, sidewalks, and driveways that should not be the developers’ cost. I understand construction is booming in Spokane, but the city needs some new people in key positions in this very busy time. Working from home for city employees is not working well. Amazon was going to do a north side facility but changed their mind after many months of delay from the City on a “conditional use permit,” which should never have been required in an old Lowes facility.

Lilacs to those downtown companies that have brought their people back to work. When working people are downtown, it brings back a sense of normalcy to our community.

As restaurants reopen and hotels start having meeting and conventions again, our downtown will “come back” and the drug-infused criminality element will not feel as welcome.

Lemons to those that are still catering to their fear and not supporting businesses and restaurants. I feel like we all have a responsibility to make this community better. Part of this is taking advantage of our amazing medical community and getting vaccinated when we have the opportunity.

Lilacs to the Downtown Spokane Partnership for pushing a downtown multipurpose soccer and football stadium next to the Sports Plex (The Podium) and Arena. The Spokane School District has over thirty million from a two-year-old successful levy and has completed design for a new stadium at the Albi site. This money will be spent, but it should now be spent downtown to create another world class venue for high school football, soccer, and other events. It would also be home to a new United Soccer League team. The school district would save the equivalent of 17.5 million in operations and maintenance by not doing the Albi site, and the economic impact on downtown would be well over eleven million per year. In addition, the school district would make more money by selling the Albi Site to Spokane Parks where they could add fields to Markel field. This would add even more economic impact. The central location would be more of an “even playing field” for people of all means and would be more equitable to all the high schools in the region. Albi is a hard to get to, out of the way location, in the middle of northwest residential neighborhoods with terrible access. This location would never be chosen if it didn’t already have an old, huge, tired stadium that will be torn down one way or another.

Lemons to people who don’t like change or progress and have no vision. Whether we like it or not, this area is growing fast and as people move here for quality of life, we need to embrace new projects for the benefit of all in the community. Real estate values are going up fast. Great for people who own property already and I would agree, not so great (lemons) for people who can afford only a given amount for rent. However, more housing than ever is being created because the economics now work without the government.

Lilacs to restaurant and hoteliers who have “held on through Covid.” I believe by next year this will all be over, and we will emerge stronger than ever. We will have lived through history! I am hoping Gonzaga basketball will get through March Madness without the madness that has been the last year. My fingers are crossed for these young athletes and their talent and work ethic. Let’s go!

Lemons to Covid in general. It has made many people fearful and sick. Covid has pulled apart family and friends and has disrupted and affected everyone in the world.

We truly miss Vince and Emily Bozzi and the Spokane “scene” will never be the same without them…I am honored to have been their friend.  

Dave Black is CEO and a principal of Black Realty, Inc.; Black Commercial Inc.; Black Realty Management, Inc., all doing business as NAI Black. Black started his real estate career in 1981, and became president of James S. Black & Company, Inc., in 1984 at the age of twenty-six.