University District (Spokane, Washington)


The University District, also referred as the U-District or Spokane University District, is a area, tax increment financing, and innovation district in Spokane, Washington. It is located just east of its Downtown Spokane and is home to a number of higher education institutions and their surrounding neighborhoods. It is approximately bounded by Sharp Avenue to the north, the Spokane River and the SR-290 spur to the east, Interstate 90 to the south, and the Division Street/Browne Street couplet to the west. The district is primarily home to Gonzaga University, Washington State University's Health Sciences Spokane campus, and the Spokane campus of Eastern Washington University. Other institutions, such as the Community Colleges of Spokane, Whitworth University, and the University of Washington also have branch operations in the University District.

History

Though now also referred to as a local area in Spokane, the University District was created as a 770-acre tax-increment financing district to promote and support land, economic, and educational development at the universities that lie within the district and the areas that surround them.

Areas

The University District spans across parts of four Spokane neighborhoods Riverside, East Central, Logan, and Emerson/Garfield and comprises three main areas.

Gonzaga University

The northern portion of the University District is home to Gonzaga University.

WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus, formerly Riverpoint Campus

The middle portions of the University District are home to Washington State University Spokane, Eastern Washington University Spokane, and various other academic institutions. The campus was originally established in 1990 as the Riverpoint Higher Education Park, later renamed the Riverpoint Campus.

South University District

The south portion of the University District is a target development area for academic expansion, housing, and other business incubators. The South University District is situated along Sprague Avenue and is connected to the WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus via the University District Gateway Bridge, a pedestrian and bicycle-only cable-stayed suspension bridge that opened in December 2018.

Initiatives

Smart city

The University District is home to a smart city initiative named Urbanova, which is the first smart city project of its kind in the State of Washington. The project was launched in 2016 by founding partners Avista Utilities, Itron, Washington State University, McKinstry, the University District Development Association, and the City of Spokane. Additional partners include Gallup and Verizon. Current projects include smart and connected street lights and a shared energy economy model.
The project also has support from Washington State University's Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, based at WSU's main Pullman campus, to develop a framework that can monitor, predict, and control energy usage and air quality, and also record the resulting health impacts, in the University District.
The shared energy economy model pilot received a $7 million grant from the Washington Department of Commerce's Clean Energy Fund to study also distributed energy by creating a microgrid of solar arrays, battery storage, and building energy management systems.