Valley Mall Will Change Colors Before Opening

It’s not going to be yellow.

That’s the main thing Richard Ryberg would like to tell people about the Spokane Valley Mall, which is due to open in August.

Ryberg, the project manager, said that’s the most common misconception people have about the mall.

The bright yellow layer that covers much of the mall now is insulation that eventually will be covered. When it’s finished, the mall will be off-white, grey and green.

Work is progressing on the 750,000-square-foot project, which will be anchored by The Bon Marche, Sears, J.C. Penney and a 12-screen cinema.

Six general contractors, each with up to 15 subcontractors, contribute up to 300 people who work daily on the mall.

A sea of construction trailers - decorated with names like Valley Glass, Parrott Mechanical and Rainbow Electric fills part of a parking lot on the project’s east side.

Inside, the mall is a maze of steel supports. The outline of the food court on the second floor is taking shape, with about 12 spaces for tenants. Among them will be Taco Time, Wendy’s and Edo Japan, said Ryberg and Phil Vise, marketing director for JP Realty, Inc., the mall developer.

The food court, called Riverfront Cafes, will open onto an outdoor patio to be used during warm weather. The mall also will have two or three restaurants, separate from the food court.

“Restaurants, food, entertainment, it’s all going to be part of it,” Vise said.

Many of the vacant spaces throughout the mall are almost ready for tenants to begin work. The spaces, which need to be designed and built, will be turned over to tenants on April 15, Ryberg said.

JP Realty President Rex Frazier said Tuesday he expects the mall to open 70 percent full. Within 18 months of opening, that should rise to 95 percent, he said.

JP Realty provides tenants with water, sewer and electrical hook-ups, but the tenants need to do everything else, including build walls, install carpeting, paint, and put in their own bathrooms. All designs are approved by JP Realty.

Opaque glass bridges will connect one side of the upper level to the other. Escalators will be located on the east and west ends, and a glass elevator, in the center court. Skylights will brighten the walkways, and 40-foot trees will rise from the lower level to the ceiling.

The mall will have six entrances, four leading into the first level and two into the second. Patrons will enter the cinema building from a separate outside entrance.

Though Ryberg said the various design elements made this mall the hardest he’s built in 20 years with JP Realty, he said the people he’s worked with have made up for the difficulty.

“Of all the ones I’ve built, bar none, these are the best people I’ve ever worked with, from the subs to the generals,” Ryberg said.

, DataTimes