#15 Comstock Neighborhood

Spokane’s Best Neighborhoods –

Hipster Rating (out of 10): 1
Predominant Housing Prices: 
Ownership: $550,000
Rental: Very little, if any, rental options.
Housing Density: Large single family residences.
Mixed Use Rating: Poor

Comstock Neighborhood Description

Comstock Neighborhood is a single family, upper income residential area on Spokane's South Hill. Anchored by Comstock Park, the neighborhood benefits from its stability and superb location. From a planner's perspective, the absence of sidewalks and an abundance of cul-de-sacs lesson Comstock's neighborhood value. From a market perspective, however, Comstock is one of the highest valued neighborhoods on the list of Spokane's Best Neighborhoods.

Elements that Create Great Neighborhoods

An Identifiable Center

The center of Comstock is Comstock Park, which opened in 1938. With plenty of rolling greens, a great swimming pool, and a number of play facilities, Comstock Park anchors a stereotypical (in a good way) family friendly neighborhood.

Boundaries

Comstock benefits from distinct boundaries. With High Drive Neighborhood to the south and west, Bernard Street to the east, and 29th Avenue to the north. Due to Comstock's boundaries and identifiable architectural theme of large ranchers and split-level ranchers, the neighborhood establishes a great sense of place.

A Front Door

Comstock's front door is better than many neighborhoods on this list. Although there is room for improvement, Comstock Park has numerous signs and distinct architecture that greet the visitor coming into the neighborhood.

Mixed Land Uses

There are two land uses within Comstock Neighborhood: the park and single family homes.

Diverse Architecture

Comstock's architectural theme rests upon large split-level and single level ranchers.

Buildings that Address the Street

Overall, homes within Comstock establish a presence from the street. Yet, because there are no sidewalks and ranchers don't lend themselves well to front porches, the neighborhood scores low within this category.

Streets that Generally Connect

Comstock is likely the first neighborhood built in Spokane that hangs it hat on an abundance of cul-de-sacs. Because many of the streets within the neighborhood have no outlet, Comstock scores poorly in this category.

Detached Sidewalks

Sidewalks are hard to find in the Comstock Neighborhood. If you're looking for a leisurely stroll along a quiet, tree-lined sidewalk, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Street Trees

Being a mature neighborhood, Comstock has an abundance of foliage. Although not technically uniform street trees, the neighborhood is quite green, nevertheless.

Walkability

For the purposes of SpokanePlanner’s neighborhood rankings, “walkability” means walkable access to different land uses. Comstock does not do well in this category.

Neighborhood Challenges

The upside of Comstock is it's a quiet, safe, family friendly neighborhood anchored by a historic park. Additionally, being located on Spokane's coveted South Hill, Comstock benefits from many of the amenities the South Hill provides. However, if Comstock were located somewhere else in the metro, due to the absence of many fundamental neighborhood amenities, it would not otherwise be on this list. Additionally, as other inner-city Spokane neighborhoods adapt and add amenities, chances are good that Comstock's ranking will fall.

What can Comstock do in the immediate future to improve? Build detached sidewalks and plant trees along the streets.

(Featured photo by Will Maupin)