Neighborhood of the week: The Spokane River

Claudia Phenneger, a Realtor with Lakeshore Realty, knows the Spokane River. "I have a passion for the Spokane River," she said. "It's a very exciting place."

Phenneger was born in Spokane and discovered the joys of the Spokane River at age 9, as a camper at Ross Point Camp. Her family boated the river in the '80s and found it "absolutely amazing."

In 1984, they bought land on the pristine south side of the river. After building a boathouse and dock, and camping on their piece of heaven for years, they decided in 1992 that "it'd be nice to be able to stay there," so they built a home.

The Spokane River is the only outlet for the cold, clear waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene. A tributary of the Columbia River, it travels from the lake over the Post Falls Dam, through Spokane into Lake Roosevelt, and eventually to Grand Coulee Dam, 111 miles in all.

There are two distinct sides of the Spokane River, north and south; for that matter, there are two distinct portions, above and below the dam. Each portion has its own beauty and offers a different experience.

The south side is the more rural of the two sides of the river. Land is relatively cheaper, and can be found in all shapes and sizes. "The south side is more pristine," Phenneger said. "There are some gorgeous homes over there." Property on the south side of the river is not in the city, so taxes are lower; there are some services available, depending on your location.

On the north side, the former mill properties have been developed into luxurious communities: Bellerive, Riverstone, Mill River, Riverside Harbor, River Run, Green View, and Post Falls Landing. Phenneger recalls the smell of fresh wet wood as they sailed past the mills, when they were still up and running. "We used to follow the lights of the mills home at night," she said. "It was a working river."

The pricier real estate is above the dam, Phenneger said. There are about seven miles of river above the dam, accessible by powerboat, so it's perfect for water skiing and touring the lake. "It has the best water skiing available," Phenneger said. "It's narrow, so it's like glass." Above the dam, you'll see houseboats and even cigarette boats; the River Queen, a Mississippi sternwheeler, used to cruise this portion of the river.

The section below the dam is the quieter part of the river, not open to motorboats, but ideal for fishing and silently gliding along the shores in a canoe or kayak. Although the river is always moving, some of the inlets do freeze in the winter, making them ideal for ice hockey and skating.

In the summer, the spill gates on the dam are closed, filling the river to summer level, allowing boaters to recreate beyond the Spokane Street Bridge. The gates are opened in the winter to make room for the spring runoff.

Spokane River residents can join the Spokane River Property Owners Association. Dues are $50/year, which include the cost of their newsletter, RiverTalk, with information about the river itself, safety suggestions, property values, and membership updates. The communities on the north side of the river each have their own homeowners association.

"There's late sun on so many of the properties," Phenneger said. "There's lots of light and great exposure." Plus, it's a great location to access either Spokane or Coeur d'Alene.

"Summer's fun," she continued. "There are abundant osprey nests, and blue heron are frequently spotted. The moose are frequent pruners of gardens; they bed between the snow berms in winter. Deer swim across the river; we've even seen cougar. It's much wilder on the south side, although it's a short distance away."

Now is a great time to buy a waterfront home, Phenneger said. There are currently 27 homes for sale on the river above the dam, 18 of which are priced over $1,095,000, and the largest listed at $11,995,000. Home prices on the river generally start around $495,000. Or you can buy vacant land to build your dream home.

"It is such an exciting place," Phenneger said.

If you'd like to experience life on the Spokane River, call Claudia Phenneger at (509) 710-2650 to learn more about this special piece of waterfront heaven.

If you have a neighborhood you'd like to see featured in this series, contact Beth Hanggeli at bhanggeli@cdapress.com.