Moscow’s ‘Identity on Main’ project scheduled to start in spring

Initial plans called for work on the “Identity on Main” development in Moscow to begin this year, however, the project is now not expected to get underway until this spring, Moscow Community Development Director Bill Belknap said Monday.

During a July Moscow Urban Renewal Agency meeting, Belknap had said the project – which will include 154 multi-family residential units and a 3,000-square-foot commercial retail building with three tenant spaces east of South Main Street and south of Paradise Creek – was going to start this past summer with the demolition of the former Domino’s building on the site and environmental remediation at the former Sharpe Oil site to clean up petroleum contamination.

“I thought they were going to try and work on demolition and environmental remediation this fall but it sounds like they’ve decided that it would be more cost effective to do that all at one time while they’ve got the contractor on site in the spring,” Belknap said. “So it sounds like they’ll be working with (the Department of Environmental Quality) to do the cleanup plan development over the course of the winter, but the actual construction activities will wait until the spring.”

Belknap said environmental remediation, demolition of the former Domino’s building and construction are expected to take place concurrently in the spring.

“They’re targeting March-April for start of construction,” Belknap said.

Eran Fields, a California developer in charge of the project, said in June his goal is to start construction in March and move residents in by the fall of 2018.

Belknap said he expects construction will start with residential buildings, which are mostly on the north side of the former Domino’s building. The commercial building, which will be on the Main Street frontage, will probably be the last building constructed after remediation is complete.

Mayor Bill Lambert said the project will enhance the southern entrance to Moscow and he anticipates the residential units will attract University of Idaho students because of its close proximity to campus. Lambert said the housing units also could provide a nice transition for younger people after they graduate college.

“Anytime you have a new business and new opportunity, it adds a little more to the town and area,” Lambert said.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.