Development proposals percolate downtown

Major downtown construction projects such as the ongoing Davenport Grand Hotel and the recently completed Spokane Convention Center expansion, as well as planned historic Ridpath renovations, likely are drawing additional developer interest to the citys core, says Jan Quintrall, the citys business and development services director.

New projects being explored downtown include an envisioned retail and office building at the site of the long-halted Peppertree hotel project northwest corner of Division Street and Third Avenue and a high-rise project near Division Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard. In other projects, initial work on an auto dealership campus master plan is under way on along Second and Third avenues, and developers are looking at redeveloping an office building and parking facility just north of Interstate 90 on Stevens Street.

We sure seem to be seeing some nice projects coming in, and people making solid investment plans, Quintrall says.

Division & Third

Owners of the lot at the northwest corner of Division and Third, where a hotel project came to an abrupt halt during foundation construction in 2009, are exploring a new development option for the property.

On behalf of owners Rita and John Santillanes, Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, has approached the city with a preliminary concept for a two-story, 16,700-square-foot building with a construction value of $2 million.

Were working with Baker Construction, hoping to announce a project to put retail in there, Rita Santillanes says.

Santillanes hotel company, Spokane-based Peppertrees of Washington LLC, also would consolidate its administrative offices in the building, she says. The company owns and operates Best Western Peppertree Plus hotels in Liberty Lake, near the Spokane airport, in Omak, and in Auburn, Wash.

As envisioned, the building at Division and Third would have 10,700 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor and 6,000 square feet of office space on the second floor.

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Development proposals percolate downtown