Topics
Kendall Yards
Summary
When developer Marshall Chesrown purchased 77 acres of real estate near downtown Spokane in 2004, a vision was born. Kendall Yards would be a mixed-use “urban village,” drawing residents to the heart of the city and boosting business. After several years of groundwork and financing setbacks, new developers have taken over the project.
Plans emerged in 2006 for a major development on the land, purchased during Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co.’s bankruptcy auction. The initial proposal for the site north of the Spokane River and west of Monroe Street showed high-end residential units; up to 1 million square feet of office and retail space; high-rise buildings; and Centennial Trail connections.
Developers completed a
costly environmental cleanup and drew up plans to handle a surge in traffic. Residents of West Central and other neighborhoods voiced concerns and support. And in September 2006, the city examiner approved Kendall Yards. The City Council would later OK special tax financing despite prominent objections.
As the economy began to falter in 2008, the project ground to a halt. Chesrown closed the downtown Kendall Yards offices, and the site was used for parking.
In late 2009, home builder Greenstone Corp. bought the property and promoted scaled-back plans that kept the mixed-use philosophy but reduced the number and cost of the housing units. Work on those units began in April 2010.
The development may deliver a full-service grocery store by Thanksgiving 2012. One to three office buildings and more housing also are planned next year. Greenstone is working with city officials to reduce long-term parking on streets in commercial portions of Kendall Yards and to extend the Centennial Trail through the project.
Updated Sept. 29, 2011.
Key people
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Marshall Chesrown
Marshall Chesrown was the original developer of Kendall Yards. He grew up in Spokane, made his fortune selling a Denver automotive empire in 1997, and returned to the Inland Northwest to go into real estate.
More information
Latest updates in this topic
Scaled-back Kendall Yards plans offer better fit for Spokane
Greenstone Corp. last week closed a deal five years in the doing. And not a moment too soon for Spokane government and business officials weary of economic headwinds.
Kendall Yards buyer touts range of housing options
A venerable home builder is bringing new hope to a stalled downtown Spokane development project. Greenstone Corp. has purchased the Kendall Yards property with plans to build a waterfront neighborhood …
At Kendall Yards, progress is slow
At 78 acres of mostly bare dirt, the site of the proposed Kendall Yards development overlooking the Spokane River is a conspicuous piece of real estate. After all the attention …
Spokane OKs Kendall Yards funding
A 78-acre development adjacent to downtown will get tax money. The Spokane City Council voted 6-1 to create a “tax-increment financing” district for Kendall Yards and the surrounding area.
Kendall Yards tax plan opposed
Spokane County Treasurer Skip Chilberg said Tuesday he might sue to stop a proposal that would shift tax dollars to pay for public improvements in the proposed Kendall Yards project. …
Kendall Yards tax deal ‘critical’
A tax incentive program for the Kendall Yards project development is so important to the $1 billion project that without it the developer might not go forward. Kendall Yards project …
Taxes sought to help cover Kendall Yards work
Developer Marshall Chesrown is seeking millions of dollars in local property taxes to help cover some of the public improvements needed for his Kendall Yards development on the north bank …
City examiner OKs Kendall Yards plan
A residential and commercial project proposed for 80 acres just north of downtown Spokane took a huge step forward Thursday when the city of Spokane’s hearing examiner approved it largely …
Public weighs in on Kendall Yards
As the city of Spokane heads toward a Thursday public hearing for an 80-acre commercial and residential project just north of downtown, public concern has focused on traffic, building heights …
Kendall Yards concerns
Environmental concerns surfaced for the first time Wednesday over a mammoth housing and commercial development proposed for the North Bank of the Spokane River. A group calling itself the Bridge-Summit …
Kendall Yards vision gets clearer
Construction could start as early as this spring on a 77-acre property just north of downtown Spokane that could one day be a thriving urban village, home to 4,000 mostly …
Bert Caldwell: Chesrown’s plans shoot for the stars
Marshall Chesrown says he sold his Denver automotive empire in 1997 thinking business could not possibly get any better. If the buyers wanted to pay more than the business was …
‘Urban village’ project hits the Internet
People interested in more information about a high-profile development just north of downtown Spokane can visit a Web site just posted by the property owner. The 77-acre Kendall Yards project …
Parkland eyed for development
A developer who wants to build an upscale urban village in Spokane has quietly proposed using a slice of Riverfront Park between the Post and Monroe street bridges for an …
Summit sells for $12.8 million
Marshall Chesrown, the top-dollar developer building the Black Rock community on Lake Coeur d’Alene, has a new venture – this time paying $12.8 million for 77 acres of prime land …