Spokane City Credit Union building undergoing $650,000 renovation

The 1970s-era Spokane City Credit Union bank building is getting a rehab.

The 3,000-square-foot office building on North Monroe Street, the credit union’s only location, was built in 1970.

“We’re doing a total rehab of the building. It’s got good bones,” said Gene Fitzpatrick, the credit union’s president. “The project just kind of evolved. What started out as a leak in the roof last fall evolved over time. We’re doing this, in part, to get some energy savings.”

Fitzpatrick pointed to the 40-plus-year-old “inefficient heating system and the two walls of windows.”

The $650,000 project will completely renovate the interior and exterior of the existing building, and will require demolition of a house on-site at Lincoln Street and Shannon Avenue. The house, which was most recently used as a duplex, was built in 1904 and will house the credit union’s operation through construction.

The parking lot is being moved to the east side of the property, where the house sits. An Avista electric vehicle charging station will be installed in the lot.

Construction is anticipated to be finished in October.

The work is being done on the south end of a major road construction project on North Monroe, but Fitzpatrick said the construction is coincidental.

The credit union was founded in 1934, and its customers were exclusively city employees. In 1978, credit union membership was expanded to Spokane Transit Authority employees, and in 1980, it opened membership to “anyone who lives, works, worships, or goes to school in the State of Washington,” according to its website. It has 5,200 members.

The project’s general contractor is Spokane Valley’s Meridian Construction. The renovation was designed by MMEC Architecture & Interiors, of Spokane. – N.D.

Duluth Trading Co. plans first store in Washington

Wisconsin-based Duluth Trading Co. is expanding its physical presence to Spokane Valley with a 15,000-square-foot retail store.

The building, which will be at 16314 E. Indiana Ave., will be the company’s first location in Washington.

The store and 98 parking spaces will be built on more than 2 acres of vacant land adjacent to Hampton Inn & Suites, according to permits filed with the city.

The parcel is owned by R.A. Hanson Co. Inc., which was founded by the late Raymond A. Hanson, a successful inventor and industrialist who was instrumental in Spokane Valley’s incorporation and also helped develop the Spokane Valley Mall.

Duluth Trading Co. was launched in 1989 by two brothers in Duluth, Minnesota, who initially sold products for tool storage, organization and transport. The company, now headquartered in Belleville, Wisconsin, expanded its line to include clothing and accessories.

The project manager is Minnesota-based Oppidan Investment Co., who has developed more than 450 projects in 35 states and Canada.

Groundbreaking for the store is expected by fall, according to documents filed with the city.

Duluth Trading Co. has 32 stores across the U.S. and recently opened a store in Portland. – A.E.

Seventh Avenue apartment complex planned in South Perry

Yet another vacant lot in the South Perry District will be developed into housing.

A two-story, four-unit complex at 1534 E. Seventh Ave. was issued permits by the city last week, and is valued at $557,000. Each unit will be nearly 1,200 square feet. One will be designated as affordable housing and will have certain income restrictions for renters. The others will be market rate, but the project’s owner and developer, Jerry McNairy, said the rents had not yet been determined.

The three-bedroom units will be available by Sept. 1, McNairy said. The units will be “a bit more higher-end” than some of the other multifamily buildings on the street.

“I just wanted to get into the Perry District,” he said.

McNairy’s company, Tegrity Construction, of Spokane, is the project’s general contractor. – N.D.

Construction of Dishman Mica development moves forward

Construction is progressing on the Ponderosa Village development surrounding Barney’s Harvest Foods in Spokane Valley.

Building permits were filed with the city for construction of two 5,000-square-foot retail buildings at 11205 E. Dishman Mica Road.

Ponderosa Village will bring a mix of retail businesses and restaurants in five buildings with a total of 25,000 square feet. Barney’s Harvest Foods, a longtime community grocery store, will anchor the development.

Fusion Architecture PLLC, of Liberty Lake, is designing the $6 million project.

The 5,000-square-foot two buildings – which have a combined value of $1.6 million – will be designed to integrate into the neighborhood.

The general contractor of the project is Kilgore Construction, of Colbert.

Ken Tuntland, who owns two additional Harvest Foods stores in Idaho with his brother, Jon, and son, Mike, have collaborated with project manager Clyde Haase of Haase Landscapes Inc. for more than a year on the community-driven development.

The Tuntlands distributed more than 8,000 flyers in-store, online and via mail to residents inquiring about the type of retail wanted in Ponderosa Village, which will be built in phases over the next three years. – A.E.