Azteca due to open Monday next to cinemas

Fans of Mexican food have been asking for this one.

Coeur d’Alene’s Azteca Mexican Restaurant should open Monday next to the Regal Cinemas in the Riverstone development off Northwest Boulevard.

The menu features a variety of authentic Mexican dishes offered in a hacienda-style atmosphere. The restaurant will seat 226 customers at tables and in booths, and the cantina will offer Mexican-style drinks and specialty bar snacks.

Four brothers came from Mexico to Seattle and opened their first restaurant in 1974. Azteca now has 35 outlets in the Northwest, plus one in Florida.

Hours in Coeur d’Alene will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Owners Kiko and Carla Barajas of Spokane also have Azteca restaurants in Spokane Valley and north Spokane plus a Tecate Grill in Spokane. They will have about 70 employees in Coeur d’Alene.

Phone: 676-0200.

Web site: www.aztecamexican restaurants.com.

Contemporary clothes at Velvet Hanger

Casual women’s clothing with special “fits,” bangles and embellishments is offered at the Velvet Hanger, which opened in July in the Gibbs Center at 1508 Northwest Blvd. in Coeur d’Alene.

Specialty brands of jeans and tops are the mainstay of the mother-daughter owners, Deborah Jacobs and Dianne Dahlke, who came to North Idaho three years ago from the Anaheim area of Southern California.

Shop hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Phone: 664-6461.

Buildings rising at Silver Park

Four office buildings are in various stages of construction or planning on 3.7 acres in the Silver Park development on the northwest corner of Canfield Avenue and Mineral Drive in Coeur d’Alene.

Dave Evans & Associates will occupy 2,700 square feet in a building being completed this month off Canfield Avenue. About 2,600 square feet remain available in the building.

With headquarters in Portland, the civil-engineering firm has more than 20 offices throughout the West and in New York. The Lake City office will move from its current location on Government Way.

Check out www.deainc.com.

A twin building next door will be ready for occupant-finishing at the end of the month. About 5,600 square feet are available.

A 16,000-square-foot two-story building with underground parking is to be completed by the end of the year.

First-floor occupants will include West Slope Properties and Forest Capital, both moving from offices in the Hecla Building nearby.

Bennett Investments Group will be on the second floor, moving from 1250 Ironwood Drive, and 3,500 square feet remain available.

A fourth building of 10,000 to 12,000 square feet is planned for the east edge of the land.

Owners are Bennett Investment Properties; architects are William Teer and David Shrontz; interior designer is Tony Zanetti of d-Zign Group; builder is Ginno Construction; and marketer is Shawn McMahon, who can be reached at 676-2022.

This week’s tidbits:

“Sneak a peek at the Ridgepointe Condominiums at the south end of 18th Street, overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene and The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course. The project includes three five-story buildings with 74 luxury three-bedroom residences.

“Doesn’t it fry you when someone leaves a shopping cart right in the middle of a parking space close to the store? Hey, grab a cart as you’re walking toward the door.

“For the most part, North Idaho towns are doing a pretty good job of forcing developers to provide adequate roads, sidewalks, parks, etc.

“Commercial intersections could use right-turn lanes to ease congestion. Sure, they cost more to construct, but they’ll cost even more later.