Kendall Yards developer expects residential units by year’s end
Work on 60 residential units at Kendall Yards in Spokane will be completed or ongoing by the end of the year, developer Jim Frank said.
Of the 18 condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes now under construction, 13 have been sold, Frank said, and one may be held as a model.
Most of those units face Bridge Avenue between Oak and Elm streets.
Frank, president of Greenstone Homes, said a second bank of units will be started soon across the alley behind the existing construction. Those will face Summit Parkway, which will become the central boulevard of Kendall Yards, he said.
The remaining units scheduled for construction this year will be on the south side of the parkway, Frank said.
He said crews are extending Elm Street onto the property, where it will connect with the parkway. West Ide Avenue was closed a week ago to allow work to begin on the parkway’s eastern extension, which will terminate at Monroe Street at Bridge.
“We’re really pushing to get this done before we lose the paving season,” Frank said.
A stoplight will not be installed at the new Summit/Monroe intersection until additional traffic from Kendall Yards justifies one, he said, adding that Greenstone is still working on shaping the commercial development planned between the Spokane County Courthouse and the Spokane River.
Eventually, he added, Summit Parkway will be extended west to Summit Boulevard.
Something wicker this way comes
Hobby Lobby, a major U.S. chain of “creative centers” catering to hobbyists, framers and crafters, will open a Spokane Valley store in August at 13902 E. Indiana Ave.
Hobby Lobby has more than 450 stores nationwide, said Vince Parker, director of the company’s training and consumer services group.
It offers crafts, hobbies, jewelry-making kits, fabrics, party items and assorted holiday and scrapbooking supplies. Beyond crafts, Hobby Lobby provides an assortment of home-décor items and accessories.
The location will have 45,000 square feet of retail space. The company is moving into the former Joe’s Sports, Outdoor & More store in the Valley, just west of the Spokane Valley Mall.
A grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 16, with the store likely to open a few days earlier.
The store will hire 30 to 50 people and will operate daily except Sunday. This is the first Hobby Lobby in the Inland Northwest. Parker said the nearest store is in Boise.
Campground gets upgrade, joins KOA
Little Diamond RV Park north of Diamond Lake in Pend Oreille County has joined the KOA system of parks. The new name is Newport/Little Diamond Lake KOA.
Owned by Equity Lifestyle Properties of Chicago, it will remain a co-member park in the Thousand Trails System. It’s open to RV and tent campers, with prices for two persons ranging from $28 to $36 a night.
The campground remodeled 105 camp sites this spring, including 38 pull-through sites. New water towers were installed on the dump stations, and shower rooms were upgraded.
Park amenities include a store, pool, hot tub, playgrounds, ballfield, driving range, basketball court, trails and space for hosting family renuions, meetings and wedding events.
The 20-acre Little Diamond Lake is stocked each year with Kamloops trout. Boat rentals include canoes, paddleboats and kayaks.
The campground is open from late April to Oct. 10.
To reserve a site, call 1-800-562-4788 or go to koa.com.
Sandpoint development gets its first tenant
Super1 Foods has become the first tenant of the Milltown Park commercial development in downtown Sandpoint.
The 54,000-square-foot store opened July 1 on six acres of the 26-acre tract at the corner of Boyer Avenue and Larch Street. Raphael Barta, who represents Milltown Park, said the store, built by Vandervert Construction of Spokane, employs slightly more than 100.
Barta said developers want to add a cinema chain to the site, and a hotel with at least 80 rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Lifestyle shops and a residential component are also possibilities, he added.
New lube shop goes up on Thor
Work has begun on an east Spokane Oil Can Henry’s auto-lube shop at 411 S. Thor, not far from the Fred Meyer at Sprague Aveune and Freya Street.
It will fill about 1,400 square feet on a 30,000-square-foot lot.
Vandervert Construction of Spokane is the general contractor for the job; building permits give a construction cost of $750,000.
OCH International Inc., based in Portlandis the owner of the chain.
Dental clinic opening in Nine Mile Falls
Lake Spokane Community Dental Clinic will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday in Nine Mile Falls. The new dental practice is owned and operated by N.E. Washington Health Programs.
The clinic occupies the lower floor of the Lake Spokane Community Health Center. It encompasses 4,000 square feet and has six employees. The address is 5952 Blackstone Way, Suite 100.
The clinic is affiliated with the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
Contact: (509) 464-0002 OR www.newhp.org.
Spokane fitness center changing hands
Fred Lopez will take over the North Spokane Global Fitness, at 110 W. Price Ave., on Aug. 1, renaming it as Fitness Center Inc.
Global customers can convert memberships to the new center. Remodeling will upgrade the main desk area and the ceiling. It will be open daily.
Global owner Mike Lee will continue operating a Spokane Valley Global Fitness at 14210 E. Sprague Ave.