Here’s the Dirt : Condos planned on Spokane River

Two local physicians are transforming a former commercial building on the Spokane River into a dozen condominiums.

The two-story building, which has more than 32,000 square feet of space, is located in the Iron Bridge area, East of Hamilton and off of Trent Avenue. The building is directly across the water from Riverview Thai Restaurant, the former Bayou Brewery.

“This is our first project. This is just something we’ve always wanted to do,” said Andrew Chester, who owns the building with his wife, Kawal Chester.

The couple applied for a building permit and are waiting for approval from Spokane to get the project underway, he said. Once the permit is finalized, Chester expects the unit shells will be finished by spring or summer.

Baker Construction of Spokane is handling the construction and local architect Patsy O’Connor designed the plans.

During its lengthy history, which began in the early 1900s, the building served as a toilet supply company, an industrial laundry facility and, most recently was the home of Sunrise Wood Products, Inc. It was expanded twice. The Iron Bridge area is being developed into an office park and has received substantial improvements.

Condos will be sold as shells, roughed-in units that need final interior designing, and be 900 to 1,000 square feet in size. Seven units will feature 22- or 23-foot ceilings, Chester said, enabling owners to create lofts or full second stories.

The Iron Bridge Condos will start at $264,500 and top out at $387,500.

Storage units being built in Spokane Valley

A $2.3 million storage unit complex is being constructed at Dishman-Mica and Bowdish roads, in Spokane Valley.

Phase one will create 243 storage units, including some with climate control, in a gated complex with 24-hour surveillance, said Scott Person, who owns the project with his father, Grant Person, both agents with Tomlinson Black. Units will range in size from 5-by-10 feet to 10-by-40 feet and rent from $45 to $180 a month.

Person said rentals within the first phase will help determine what will be offered in the second phase, Scott Person said. The second phase could add 200 to 240 more units.

The first phase should be completed by spring, Person said.

December updates

Local developer Ron Wells is making progress on several downtown condominium projects.

The former Joel Inc. building at 165 S. Post is in final permit review with the city, said Wells, who hopes to get underway with the project in the next couple of months. After a permit is issued, the development partnership will finalize construction bids and select a contractor for the 18-condo project.

Carnegie Square Townhouses, planned for the site of a former fire station on Adams Street, between Sprague and First avenues, should get underway this spring, when weather permits the pouring of new footings, Wells said. The plans have undergone both structural and architectural changes.

The last 10 condos at Morgan Lofts, 315 W. Riverside Ave., are finished, Wells said, with 21 of 31 units sold. Two of three commercial spaces have also sold, with one — a 10,000 square-foot suite on Riverside Avenue — left for sale.