Land Owners Seek Backing For Convention Center Expansion Project

A $50 million expansion of the Spokane Convention Center on the block directly across Spokane Falls Boulevard from the center is proposed by private owners of the property.

Architect Glen Cloninger, the largest land holder, and others want to form a “public-private partnership” with the city to plan, develop, and build an expansion about twice the size of the existing center.

Such a partnership would enable the partners to take advantage of the city’s ability to issue tax-free bonds, resulting in a much lower interest rate for financing.

Under terms of the proposal, the city could lease or buy the center.

The property owners asked the City Council to sign an “exclusive letter to negotiate” toward an agreement to build the project, long envisioned by the city for that block. The council has deferred the request to a subcommittee of the Spokane Entertainment, Arts and Conventions Advisory Board, which oversees the convention center.

Additional studies (traffic studies, geotechnical studies, etc.) costing several hundreds of thousands of dollars will be required before the project could get under way. This is the reason for the “exclusive letter of negotiation,” Cloninger said.

If negotiations produced agreement, Cloninger said, the city would have to pay for the additional studies it requires and for some other things it wants done, such as relocating water and sewer lines.

If the city and the owners were to negotiate an agreement to proceed, Cloninger said, the project would take two years of study, negotiation and design, and construction would take another two years. The center could be doubled to 200,000 square feet later on, and have space for up to 1,000 parking slots.

Miller succeeds Matthews at US West

Annette Miller has been named Eastern Washington area manager for US West Communications, succeeding Sharon Matthews, who resigned to start a home-based consulting business.

Miller, who has lived and worked in this area most of her life, will represent the company in all local government, civic and community affairs. She is a graduate of Eastern Washington University and has been employed by US West for seven years.

Gallery takes ex-bank location

The former Sterling Savings Building at 120 N. Wall has a new tenant, Douglas Gallery, the first business to open on the street since a wave of closures blacked out half of that block a few years ago.

Store quarters fronting an entire block on Riverside from Wall to Howard remain dark. But coupled with other new developments, the move by Douglas Gallery could signal better days.

Dennis and Danna Douglas say their gallery, which opened a few years ago two blocks away, at 121 S. Wall, needed greater exposure to more shoppers and professional people out and about downtown. Their new location looks out on the Wall Street Trolley/ Pedestrian Mall across from the Crescent Court in the center of the core.

Ritch Fenrich of ALSC Architects said building owner Joe Dinnison has hired the Spokane firm of Walker Construction to reconfigure the front of the building.

Workmen will peel an existing layer of metallic skin off the face of the five-story structure in order to reveal and restore the original underlying reddish-granite exterior. Fluted terra cotta decorative trim at the southwest corner of the building also will be restored.

Reflecting-glass front windows that now prevent passersby from seeing into the building will be replaced by a sparkling 18-foot-tall glass marquee. Curving out six feet from the front of the existing elevator lobby or vestibule in the manner of a giant bay window, the crystal marquee-entryway will dramatically showcase the studio’s artworks to pedestrians on both the sidewalk and skywalk levels.

“This type of highly visible display begins to execute the concept of an evolving arts enclave that was envisioned for the Wall Street trolley and pedestrian mall,” said Fenrich. He said other building owners and businesses are being encouraged to create pieces of sculpture and mall decor consistent with the arts theme.

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MEMO: Associate Editor Frank Bartel writes a notes column each Wednesday. If you have business items of regional interest for future columns, call 459-5467 or fax 459-5482.