Premera Blue Cross planning to build large new office facility in Kendall Yards

A look over the presently vacant lot that will eventually house a Premera Blue Cross office campus in Kendall Yards. As seen here the offices will also enjoy a great view of the Downtown skyline.

Although construction is not anticipated to start until the Summer of 2022, we now are learning that Premera Blue Cross is seeking to build a large new office complex at the entrance to Kendall Yards. It is to be located near the corner of N. Monroe and Summit Pkwy, at the north end of the Monroe St. bridge. The company plans to relocate their Spokane offices there, from the company's current campus on E. Sprague to the east of Downtown Spokane.

Premera's current campus, at 3900 E. Sprague is now listed for sale, being joint marketed by brokers of Kiemle Hagood and Colliers. The marketing info indicates a listing price of $14 million for the site that consists of three office buildings and an attached parking garage. As of today, Premera Blue Cross continues to operate at this site with and estimated 700 employees locally.

The new Kendall Yards facility is estimated to complete in 2024 with at least one building, that is planned to offer 60,000 SF of office space in four floors, built above a three story parking structure. 

Information on the site is coming from a recent pre-development filing with the City of Spokane. In those documents it also shows two other buildings called closeby listed as a " neighbor site " , which is not made clear if these are part of the Premera project or another TBD project. 

The project is clearly early in it's development although Premera did confirm this plan, in a recent email sent to employees at the existing offices. No general contractor is shown as of yet to construct the development, but Seattle based HOK is listed as the projects architect. We will continue to keep an eye on this project, as we still have questions about the scope of the development,etc... so stay tuned.

New Dutch Bros. location planned near Wanderemere, with indoor seating

Work is underway for a new Dutch Bros. Coffee location in North Spokane. The popular coffee shop chain will lease suite 100 of the newer shopping center at 11921 N. Division, a 1700 SF site with a single drive thru lane that runs behind the entire structure. The site is located in-between the main Wanderemere neighborhood and Whitworth University and will be the 11th location for the chain in Spokane area.

Spokane area Dutch Bros locations are all owned by former State Representative and well known local businessman Kevin Parker. Parker, told us by email that they are hoping to have this new Dutch Bros. open sometime in December. He also confirmed this location will be the first in the Spokane market to have a lobby with indoor seating. 

Kevin Parker also recently confirmed in a interview with our friends at the Spokane Journal of Business that the company will also soon re-build their location on S. Freya near I-90. That location was demolished recently following a severely damaging truck accident.  That location will likely re-open next year. 

New winery, Two Winey Bitches, opens on Downtown's West End

 Named for the owners Dogs, Two Winey Bitches is now open for business at 107 S. Madison, across from the Hotel Indigo, in Downtown Spokane. The business joins a number of wineries and breweries in this up and coming section of Downtown.

Ribbon cutting- L to R Mark Richard of Downtown Spokane, Mayor Nadine Woodward, Ira Amstadter BID board chair and the business owners.

TWB creates fruit wines, aged at least two years and using no grapes at all. All fruits used in their wines are grown organically on the owner's farm, near Long Lake Dam about 13 miles north of Reardan. And, all wines by produced by the winery are available at the Spokane space and are available to taste, by the glass and by the bottle.

In addition to fine wines, TWB has a small but delicious sounding food menu from charcuterie to flatbreads and more created by Chef Franco Ruiz. Local art adorns the walls of the comforting space and groups will also be able to rent the place for limited functions. 

For more information on TWB call 509-808-2526 or visit http://twowineybitches.net

Restaurant, offices and retail space coming to a new development in Liberty Lake

 Construction is now underway for a new commercial development to be built on 2.93 acres of land at the corner of Country Vista and Whitman Ln, near Home Depot, in Liberty Lake. Silvey Construction is the general contractor, Legacy Group Development,LLC is the developer and Bernardo Wills Architects is providing the architectural work for the development.

The project is planned to be built in two phases, with two building pads planned in phase one which is what is being built presently and will be towards the front half of the site. 

" Pad A " will be occupied by Palenque Mexican Restaurant, who will be in a 2,475 SF space and will move to the development from their current space at the Liberty Lake Golf Course. An additional 1960 SF is still available in that building for lease for retail or similar tenants.

"Pad B" will be a 6521 SF structure and will be entirely occupied by Children's Choice Dental. This will be Children's Choice Dental first location in the Spokane Valley / Liberty Lake area as they currently have locations on the South Hill and North Spokane.

Phase two has yet to be designed and some work has begun to determine what buildings and tenants will one day be on that portion of the development. We will watch for more details in the future as that section begins to come together. Additionally, construction is also starting directly across Country Vista from this site for a new Carpet One retail store which is being built by a different group.

 

New Towneplace Suites by Marriott to be built in Coeur d' Alene

 Demolition crews have now leveled what once was an Outback Steakhouse at 1381 N Northwood Center Ct. , next to I-90 in Coeur d' Alene with plans to replace the former restaurant with a brand new hotel in the near future.

Rendering of the planned new hotel, used courtesy of Garn Development

Garn Development, a Layton,UT based development firm is proposing an 89 room, 4 story hotel branded as a Townplace Suites by Marriott. The company claims the hotel should open about 14 months after construction begins, putting and opening date sometime late in 2022.

The building permit is currently processing with the City of Coeur d' Alene, with permit data showing the project as being estimated at $9.2 million and Rimrock Construction,LLC of Draper,UT planned to act as the project's general contractor. This will be the first hotel to branded under the Townplace Suites name in the Inland Northwest, although the brand has locations as close as Missoula and the Tri-Cities presently.

Zeeks Pizza planning a location nearby Gonzaga

 Zeeks Pizza, a popular chain of pizza restaurants from the Seattle area, is planning on coming to Spokane soon. The company will open it's 20th restaurant, and their first east of the Cascade's in the former Geno's building at 1414 N. Hamilton, just steps off of the Gonzaga University campus. More locations in the Inland Northwest are also possible in coming months but will be announced at a later date.

Zeeks Pizza's president, Dan Black is a Spokane native and this new location will be locally owned by Mike and Edie Stotts. They tell me Zeeks is a pizza company with Northwest values at it's roots " we are independent, creative , adventurous and down to earth. These traits show up in everything we do including pizza and beer. "

The Spokane Zeeks location will offer delivery, take away and indoor dining. Orders will also be able to placed via their website or the Zeeks Pizza app. The new GU Zeeks will also deliver beer, cider, wine and canned cocktails. They plan to include several Spokane made beers, products from Dry Fly Distillery and their three famous " Zeeks Beers " ( Hop Tropic IPA, Zeek & Destroy IPA and Lateral A IPA ) . This is in addition to a large selection of pizzas, salads and desserts. 

The new restaurant is hoping to open towards the end of October, into November with a official date to be announced soon. They just plan to open in time for Zag games as they will say plan to be a great place for before or after the game or to watch the game if you're un-able to go.

We will keep an eye on this new restaurant coming to Spokane. And, in the mean time more information can be found about Zeeks on their website- http://zeekspizza.com

Twisted Sugar coming to Spokane

 Twisted Sugar is a Layton,Utah based chain of shops that describes themselves as a " a specialty soda shop, that makes cookies everyday " . The company is growing fast, with locations now scattered around the United States, and they now have their sights set on opening a new store , here in Spokane.

Twisted Sugar recently leased a 1340 square foot space at 2009 E. 29th, the former Caffe Capri coffee shop space in the South Hill's Grapetree Village shopping center. Ryan Oberg and Cory Barbieri of Goodale & Barbieri handled the lease of the company's new location.

We reached out to Twisted Sugar for an estimated opening date, but have yet to get a reply. The business however promotes their menu of cookies that are baked fresh in-store daily with unique flavors and monthly rotating special cookie options, specialty sodas,  ice cream sandwiches and " Twisters " , which are similar to shakes. 

This will be the first Twisted Sugar location in Washington State, however they already have one to our south in Boise and are planning a couple more locations in Idaho soon. For more info on Twisted Sugar, visit their website at- http://www.twistedsugar.com

Lone Mountain Farms & Brewery working on new restaurant / tap house in Hayden

 Lone Mountain Farms & Brewery is a locally owned farm and brewery, nearby Silverwood at 25415 N. Ramsey Rd. in Athol. Their products are sold on site in a small set up at the farm and occasionally at farmers markets.

But Lone Mountain recently began construction on a new tap room and restaurant in the Lancaster Market development at the corner of US 95 and Lancaster Rd on the north side of Hayden. No opening date has been set yet but the new space should be opening later this year, joining other exciting food tenants like Belle's Brunch House and Bee's Knees Whiskey Bar, which are already open there.

The new Lone Mountain Tap House will offer their beers on tap, along with wine and cider options. They say the food will be inspired by the farm, farm to table cuisine that's " local, fresh and delicious ".

For more information on Lone Mountain Farms & Brewery, check them out on Facebook, Instagram or via their website- http://lonemountainfarms.com

Newly renovated building offers up new office spaces on E. Sprague

 

Formerly the home of the Vien Dong Vietnamese Restaurant, the building at 1722 E. Sprague has seen significant renovations since the buildings sale in 2019. Vien Dong still operates but has since moved to 3435 E. Trent.

On the ground floor a new furniture store, Bide & Burgeon opened for business just a few months ago with affordable furniture and décor. A coffee tenant is also in the works to open in the remaining ground floor space but haven't yet formally announced their plans.

The second floor, however is now coming open now with newly renovated office spaces. A total of 18 brand new, roomy, individual offices that have amazing natural light are now throughout that entire floor. While some of the new offices are rented many are still available and geared towards small businesses, accommodating 1-5 people. A one year lease and one month deposit is required.

Rent for the office spaces is currently at $635 and up and includes Wifi, conference room time, free off street parking, 24/7 secure access , utilities and light janitorial. 

Units are shown by appointment by calling 509-255-7275

Boxcar Apartments project reaches it’s top floor

 

One of the University District’s largest construction projects is taking shape, quite literally. The new Boxcar Apartment building at 15 N Grant, by E. Sprague and U District Gateway Bridge has recently reached it’s highest height, some seven floors above the up and coming East Central Spokane neighborhood. It’s now even somewhat visible from I-90.

Spokane based Bouten Construction is the general contractor for the construction project which when complete will be a 78,500 SF structure with 136 apartments, underground parking and a cafe space on the ground floor. The developers are also targeting to achieve a LEED Silver status, showing dedication to sustainability.

While much of the construction is being done locally, it is noteworthy that this is one of many recent local construction projects that have attracted out of area investment. The project is being developed by a company called Project^ out of Portland and the architectural design is being done by TVA Architects also operating out of Portland.

New construction projects to add...

 One of the more popular sections of this site has rapidly become the Current Construction Projects page. Even I find myself using it for reference sometimes, and today we have a few more projects to add to it, they are-

Note- the project page is not a comprehensive list, I likely missed a few so don't hesitate to reach out anytime at matt.behringer@inlandnwbusiness.com to ask what's going in where?

Goodwill Industries Airway Heights

Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest are planning a 60,000 SF new construction building at the corner of Deer Heights Rd & Flight Dr in Airway Heights. The building is planed to be part retail store and part salvage sorting facility.

Fred's Appliance Distribution Center

Planned to be built at 8817 W. Granite Ave, near Airway Heights and the Spokane International Airport is a planned to warehouse for the Fred's Appliance chain. Plans currently call for a 100,000 SF structure with multiple loading docks and 80 parking stalls.

Tesla Liberty Lake

Baker Construction & Development recently started construction at 1805 N. Pepper Ln. , just north of I-90 in Liberty Lake for a large Tesla dealership, providing both sales and service. Plans call for a 33,768 SF building with a large parking area and state of the art Tesla superchargers.

Millennium Monroe Apartments

As of my writing this, the Millennium Monroe project is still in the SEPA application phase but does show promise of being built soon. The plan as of now shows two phases, phase 1 is a 4 story mixed use building with 41 residential units.

Phase 2 is a 3 story multi family structure with 24 rental units. All will be in the North Monroe area at 2002 N. Monroe.

Symons Block

We don't know all the details on it just yet but understand that the Symons Block building at 7 S. Howard in Downtown Spokane, recently underwent a change in ownership. With big plans to convert the office space on the upper floors into studio apartments. The ground floor will keep the same commercial spaces.

Acceleration Physical Therapy

Construction should begin soon for a 4070 SF standalone building that will be a new clinic for Acceleration PT. It will be located at 707 S. Sherman.

Take 5 Medical Office

Construction is underway at 371 W. 5th, along I-90 and just west of Arthur St for a 3065 SF medical office building. The name is mentioned as " Take 5 DNA " , we will keep an eye on if for more details.

Mt. Spokane Pediatrics Clinic

Plans are to build a new 15179 SF clinic building for Mt. Spokane Pediatrics at 759 E. Holland.

Aspen Dental

The Aspen Dental chain of dental clinics is planning a new construction building at 4805 E. Sprague, near Costco in Spokane Valley. Plans call for a 3500 SF stand alone building.

New restaurants opening soon, and being added to our restaurants coming soon page

 Wondering about what new restaurants are coming to Inland Northwest? Be sure to check out our " Restaurants coming soon " page at http://www.inlandnwbusiness.com/p/restaurants-coming-soon.html

That page is meant to be a running list of all the new eatery's we know about opening, from one's that we are just learning about to ones that just open, so we recommend bookmarking it for future use as I plan to keep it as up to date as possible. And, now we have a few more to add to the list-

Bijou

Status- Planned

Bijou, the small bar and coffee shop in Browne's Addition is planning a second location on the South Hill. Per their request, we will wait to announce the exact location till they give us the go ahead.

Hark's Clubhouse

Status- Under construction

Coming soon to the former Sam's Coffee space at 12709 E. Mirabeau Pkwy. in Spokane Valley is Hark's Clubhouse. The owner of Cease & Desist is planning a cool new baseball themed restaurant with beer & wine in addition to burgers, cheesesteaks, ice cream and other ballpark themed foods.

Emrys Fermentations

Status- Under construction

A unique new restaurant that is coming soon to Liberty Lake and joining the new River District development. The restaurant is going into a new building which they are building now at 21850 E. Wellington , off of Harvard Rd. It is described as Spokane's historical-modern fusion meadery-brewery-restaurant.

Jersey Mike's 

Status- planned

Building permits have been applied for to build a new location of the Jersey Mike's chain of sandwich restaurants in Spokane Valley. Per the address on the permit, it will be near Fred Meyer at 15609 E. Sprague Ave. , suite B.

Lokey Cafe

Status- Under construction

Described by them as " coffee for regular ass people ", Lokey Cafe is working on opening in Downtown Spokane at 903 W. Riverside. They will serve Indaba Coffee, Revival Tea and some food options.

Common Language Brewing

Status- Planned

Working on gathering the details on this new brewery coming soon to Downtown Spokane. They are planning on remodeling and going into the former River Bank Tap House space at 928 W. Sprague.

Inland Cider Mill

Status- Under construction

Inland Cider is planning on relocating their tap room to a new more predominant location next door to Chaos Arcade at 1020 W. Francis Suite B in North Spokane.

Pint House Burgers & Brews

Status- Under construction

Website- http://pinthousepub.com

Pint House Burgers & Brews, with one location in Spokane's Indian Trail neighborhood is planning a new second location in the former Good Tymes Bar at 9214 E. Mission , by Argonne in Spokane Valley.

Chipotle

Status- Under construction

Website-http://chipotle.com

The Chipotle Mexican Grill chain is planning a new location in Spokane Valley at 209 N. Sullivan. This will be Chipotle's third location in the Spokane area.

Bruchi's

Status-planned

Website- http://bruchis.com

A new Bruchi's Cheesesteaks and Subs location is coming soon to Post Falls. Construction will begin soon along Hwy 41, just north of the junction with Mullan Ave.