Why would a brand-new house on the West Plains sell for less than the typical home around it? In most of Spokane County, new construction sells for more than the area median. In September 2026, the Spokane REALTORS® market report showed new homes in the Spokane Valley's area 110 averaging $510,619, while the area's overall median was $430,000. In area 430, the MLS district covering the West Plains north of Thorpe Road and I-90, new homes averaged $366,504 that month. The median for every home sold there was $369,957.
Behind that gap is a rule that controls how many homes can be built at all. Airway Heights gives out water capacity for new development on a schedule, a fixed number of homes per developer every six months. The city raised that number in March. If you're comparing the West Plains with the Valley or the South Hill, you need to know how this quota works. It sets the pace at which new homes reach a part of the county where builder inventory already makes up a large share of sales.
Six-month allocations, counted per developer
Airway Heights uses a system called water concurrency. The West Plains Stream quoted the ordinance's definition: concurrency means "land use approval is supported by the development of adequate public facilities, which have the capacity to serve development without decreasing levels of service below the established minimums." The paper also quoted Heather Trautman, the city's principal planner: "We measure our water because we are giving our water to projects, new development and we are also buying our water from an outside source, which is the city of Spokane."
That outside source matters. Airway Heights now expects to buy all the water it needs from Spokane, and a development agreement between the two cities covers capital projects to bring more water to Airway Heights from 2026 through 2046.
On March 2, 2026, the City Council changed the allocation. Here are the main numbers, as reported by the West Plains Stream and written into Airway Heights Municipal Code chapter 14.11:
- Single-family: up from 20 ERUs per calendar year to 25 for January through June and 25 for July through December, for 50 per developer per year. Related or commonly controlled applicants count as one applicant.
- Missing middle housing: now part of the allocation, with its own limit of 25 dwelling units per applicant in each half-year.
- Multifamily: up from 16 ERUs to 30. Applications for 4 to 50 units get 12-month certificates, and projects over 50 units go through more discretionary review.
- Commercial and industrial: raised to 20 units.
The code also says what happens to capacity that goes unused. It goes back to the city and becomes available again. Work that adds no new units is exempt from the review, including additions, replacement homes, and interior renovations. That exemption matters if you're buying an existing Airway Heights home with plans to expand it.
Permits nearly doubled in the year the cap went up
The U.S. Census Building Permits Survey counted 22 one-unit residential permits in Airway Heights for all of 2025. In the first nine months of 2026, it counted 40.
Those are citywide totals, and the quota is set per developer, so the numbers don't show any one builder reaching its limit. What they do show is new single-family construction in Airway Heights speeding up sharply in the same year the city more than doubled each developer's yearly single-family allowance. Homes permitted in 2026 will keep reaching the resale market well into next year.
Where new construction lands on price
For a buyer, the question is what new construction costs once it arrives. Below are the new-home numbers from the September 2026 Spokane REALTORS® report for several MLS areas. Each covers site-built homes and condos on less than one acre, with sales reported through October 7, 2026.
| MLS area, September 2026 | Total closings | New-home sales | Area median price | New-home average price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 430, West Plains north of Thorpe & I-90 | 15 | 8 | $369,957 | $366,504 |
| 420, West Plains, West Medical Lake/Cheney | 35 | 5 | $400,923 | $497,760 |
| 110, Valley | 78 | 19 | $430,000 | $510,619 |
| 220, South | 46 | 8 | $495,000 | $504,767 |
| 340, North | 52 | 12 | $299,995 | $374,463 |
Two things set area 430 apart. New homes made up more than half of its September closings, and they sold for about the area median instead of well above it. In area 420, the West Plains district right next to it, new homes averaged almost $100,000 over the median. Area 220 on the South side comes close, with new homes about 2% over its median, but area 430 is the only one in the table where the new-home average came in below the median. Fifteen closings is a small count for one month, and because new homes made up 8 of them, the median itself leans heavily on builder sales.
For the whole county that month, the median closed price was $419,995, with 1,620 active listings and 3.0 months of supply. Area 430's median was about $50,000 below the county figure. If you're shopping there, much of what you'll compare is builder inventory, priced close to the area's overall median.
The water bill keeps climbing after closing
Once a home is built and sold, the water rates shape what living in it costs. At its December 15, 2025 meeting, the Airway Heights City Council approved a 15% yearly increase in base water rates for 2026 through 2029, according to the West Plains Stream.
| 2026 Airway Heights residential water charges | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Regular residential monthly base rate | $19.51 | $22.55 |
| Block 1, per 1,000 gallons | $2.44 | $2.81 |
| Block 2, per 1,000 gallons | $2.96 | $3.40 |
| Block 3, per 1,000 gallons | $3.55 | $4.08 |
Under the adopted schedule, the regular residential base charge rises to $24.58 in 2027, $26.79 in 2028 and $29.20 in 2029, before any water is used. The amounts are small next to a mortgage payment. Still, they're a known, scheduled rise that a buyer moving from a city with flat utility rates may not expect. The rates also follow from the same fact behind the quota: Airway Heights buys its water from Spokane. Utility rates and code requirements can change, and this post is general information, not legal or financial advice, so check the current schedule with the city and talk to your lender or another qualified professional about your own situation.
Other demand on the same water
New homes aren't the only thing asking for water on the West Plains. Two projects show what else is in line.
Affordable housing. Airway Heights accepted two state Connecting Housing to Infrastructure grants totaling $1,495,344 for Highland Village Phases 3 and 4. Community Frameworks is building Phase 3 and Habitat for Humanity is building Phase 4. The grants pay general facility charges, the one-time connection fees that cover a new development's share of water and wastewater infrastructure.
A proposed data center. Apricus Energy Partners has proposed a data center called "Big Rock" at 11703 W. Medical Lake Highway near Hayford Road that would seek 1,000 megawatts of power, as the Spokesman-Review reported. The proposal is preliminary. The City of Airway Heights says Apricus first requested 22,000 gallons a day of reclaimed water, with 250,000 to 300,000 gallons a day possible once a hydrogen plant is fully built out. The city has made no commitment to provide water.
Taken together, these show that water capacity on the West Plains is limited and several projects are counting on it. The single-family quota is one piece of that larger allocation.
Questions to bring to a West Plains showing
Once you know about the quota, you can ask sharper questions about any home in or near Airway Heights:
- Is this a builder home or a resale? In area 430, new homes made up 8 of 15 September closings, so compare finishes and lot size along with price.
- How much more is the builder permitting? Builders get allocations every six months, so the pace of new supply nearby depends on how many builders are active and how many half-year allocations they use.
- Are you planning an addition? Additions that add no new dwelling units are exempt from concurrency review under chapter 14.11. A project that adds a unit is reviewed.
- What will utilities cost by 2029? The adopted schedule takes the residential base water charge to $29.20 a month in 2029.
Quick answers
Does the quota apply to buying an existing home? No. Concurrency is decided while a development application is processed, so it applies to new construction and to projects that add units.
What does area 430 cover? The Spokane REALTORS® MLS manual defines area 430 as "West Plains N. of Thorpe & I-90." It is an MLS district, not a city boundary.
Where does Airway Heights get its water? The city expects to buy all of the water it needs from the City of Spokane, under a development agreement that runs from 2026 to 2046.
If you're weighing a West Plains resale against the new construction nearby, or deciding when to list an Airway Heights home while builder inventory keeps growing, Amy Khosravi can go through the current area 430 numbers with you house by house. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll work out how your home should be priced and presented against the new builds it's competing with.
