A commercial property owner near the intersection of Cheney-Spokane Road and the Pullman highway is seeking a zone change for a motel and restaurant there.

Ron Armacost, owner of the Zip Trip store at the intersection, is asking the city to allow the motel and restaurant on a piece of undeveloped property between his store and the new Tidyman’s supermarket.

Armacost, through his company R&W Enterprises, will take his proposal to the hearing examiner on Sept. 2 at 9 a.m. at City Hall.

He is also seeking approval of a special permit to build a 25-by-50-foot car wash next to the Zip Trip.

Property in the area was once occupied by vegetable farms but has undergone commercial development in recent years as the farmers reached retirement age and sold their interests in the land.

The parcel identified for the motel and restaurant is still zoned for agricultural use, but the land to the north and south has been changed to business zoning.

R&W Enterprises is seeking the zone change from agriculture to business use. The comprehensive plan designates the area as country-residential.

The proposal calls for putting a two-story motel at the rear of the lot and a restaurant at the front with more than 100 parking spaces.

The motel would be 13,300 square feet on the main floor. The restaurant would have room for 120 diners.

Armacost said he has been in touch with people in real estate who want a site for a motel, but he did not identify the name of the motel. Armacost said he has not decided whether he will lease the land or sell it.

The proposal has not encountered any neighborhood opposition. A predevelopment meeting was held with residents earlier this year. No objections were raised.

The state Department of Transportation is requiring the developers to sign an agreement to pay a share of the cost of a future interchange where the Cheney-Spokane Road meets U.S. Highway 195.

, DataTimes