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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Apartments dominate Pullman’s 2019 construction

Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Multifamily residences made up a significant portion of Pullman’s most valuable construction projects in 2019, while single-family homes continue to lag behind.

According to the Pullman Planning Department, 2019 marked the fourth year in a row the city surpassed $100 million in building permit values. As of Monday, the total permit value in 2019 was $109.6 million.

Among the most valuable construction projects were multifamily residences. The 187-unit Retreat at Pullman being constructed on Merman Drive is valued at $39.1 million. The Hills on Grand, with 82 units, is valued at $12.6 million. The Community Action Center Riverview Apartments on Bypass Drive is valued at $6.3 million, and the College Crest Apartments on Merman Drive is valued at $3.1 million.

In total, there were building permits issued for 406 apartments, which exceeds the annual average of 149.

Meanwhile, there were only 30 permits issued for single-family houses in 2019. This is more than double the amount of permits in 2018, but still well below the city’s 20-year annual average of 58 houses.

A local housing study completed this year by the Partnership of Economic Prosperity revealed there was a significant shortage of single-family homes in the region, and that more must be built to meet the Palouse’s housing demand. That study can be found at www.pepedo.org.

The controversial Elevate Student Housing project that is anticipated to be built on Johnson Avenue, is still in the early stages. The developer is revising its application to build the 13-story building that includes 292 apartments on a 5-acre site.

Several commercial projects also highlighted 2019. The Starbucks and the RPM Express Car Wash on Brelsford Drive were valued at $605,000 and $567,000 respectively. The Myers Auto Rebuild and Towing addition and the Planet Fitness remodel, both on South Grand Avenue, were each valued at more than $300,000.

Additionally, the City Hall remodel project on Crestview Street and the Washington State University Global Animal Health building project are also multimillion-dollar projects.