Walmart unveiling makeover in Valley

Walmart will debut its remodeled Spokane Valley store this morning as it prepares another extensive renovation at its Shadle Park location.

The retail giant also has announced when it will open two new stores in Kootenai County this summer.

Work at the 15727 E. Broadway Ave. store began March 21, said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Amelia Neufeld. Almost all the construction took place at night to minimize disrupting shoppers, she said.

Neufeld said the remodeling widened aisles, lowered shelving, enhanced lighting and brightened the store’s paint scheme. The electronics and frozen food departments were expanded, she said.

Murphy Construction of Denver was the contractor.

The store will add 75 employees as a result of the changes, bringing the total to 570, Neufeld said.

She declined to comment on the cost of the improvements, but the Shadle store at 2301 W. Wellesley Ave. is scheduled for a $928,000 facelift, according to building permit information.

That work is expected to start June 13 and conclude in September, Neufeld said.

Elite Commercial Contracting out of Kent, Wash., is the contractor.

Walmart has scheduled an Aug. 18 grand opening of its new Post Falls store. It’s about a quarter-mile east of Cabela’s and will span 154,000 square feet.

A 213,000-square-foot store in Hayden, at the southwest corner of U.S. Highway 95 and Honeysuckle Avenue, will open Sept. 8, the company said.

Founded in 1962, Walmart has about 8,500 stores in 15 countries.

Apartment complex coming to the Valley

Spokane developer Harlan Douglass has begun work on 256 apartment units in the Spokane Valley, in an area just north of Shelley Lake Estates. The location, which covers about 15 acres, is near the intersection of East Fourth Avenue and Conklin Road, east of Sullivan Road in Veradale.

The development will have 16 apartment buildings of two- or three-level design. Each building will have from six to 24 units. The project architect is Roy L. Wyatt Architects & Associates, of Spokane.

Douglass said he hopes to start renting by the end of the year or early 2011.

Driving the project, he said, is the lack of financing available for buyers or builders of new homes.

When people are forced to live with parents or double up, the market offers a “nice situation” opening the door for apartment developers, Douglass said.

Another factor is the lower cost to do such projects now, he said. Construction materials and labor costs have not gone up, he noted.

Les Schwab to expand South Hill store

Les Schwab Tire Centers is remodeling and expanding its store at 3105 S. Regal St. on Spokane’s South Hill.

Vandervert Construction is the contractor on the $1 million project, which will reconfigure the layout, add four service bays, and increase parking and warehouse space.

Construction began last month and is expected to conclude by the end of summer, the company said.