It looks like travelers coming into Spokane via the I-90/ Division St. may soon have something to greet them other then the big hole on the northwest side of the 3rd and Division St intersection.
The City of Spokane's building permit portal reveals that, this week a "pre-development conference" was held for a new building at that exact site. The plan is being brought forward by John & Rita Santillanes, who list an address on Geiger Blvd. which is also the address of the Best Western Peppertree Inn on the West Plains. This is interesting because the owner of that hotel was the same who started the construction project a few years ago that resulted in the pit there today.
That project was to be a new hotel, but the project abandoned for good after the massive Grand Hotel Spokane construction project began to the north. Making the need for new hotel rooms Downtown almost nill ( for now... )
The paperwork attached to the conference indicates a new 2 story building would rise from the site. There is no rendering attached, but a site plan shows the building will be commercial with retail, restaurant and office (office space on the second floor ) uses.
The information included shows a purposed construction start date of May 2015, along with a logo from Baker Construction. It may cost about $2 million with about 10,000 square feet of retail on the main floor and 6,000 square feet of office space above. Surrounding the new building will be a surface parking lot.
We expect to be hearing more on this soon. And will surely post renderings, names and tenants as we get them.
