Council To Act On River Park Square City Officials To Consider Construction Agreement, Take Final Action On Selling Two Sections Of Roadway
The redevelopment of River Park Square will inch closer to reality tonight when the Spokane City Council considers a pre-construction agreement with the developers.
Council members also will take final action on proposals to sell two sections of downtown roadway to the project’s developers. They include Post Street between Spokane Falls Boulevard and Main Avenue, and a portion of the alley between Post and Wall streets.
The $100 million redevelopment of River Park Square will include a new Nordstrom store, a multiscreen cinema, an open-air atrium and other shops and restaurants.
Bob Robideaux, project manager for River Park Square, said the agreement was part of the “paperwork flow” needed to get the project under way.
Robideaux said he didn’t know a start date for construction. He added that some work already has begun, such as construction of a new Eddie Bauer store and removal of asbestos from the west block of River Park Square.
The construction agreement requires:
The developers to submit publicly accessible parts of the project to the city’s Design Review Committee for comment.
The city to “fast-track” necessary permits and approvals related to the project during construction.
The city to approve permits for the project regardless of whether the Lincoln Street bridge is built.
The developers to pay the city $35,000 for vacating the alley and $430,000 for vacating Post Street.
The city to let the developer relocate the skywalk that runs from River Park Square to the Burlington Coat Factory. The developer also can change the skywalk that links the shopping center to the Spokane Public Library.
The city to let River Park Square tenants continue to operate as long as minimum safety standards are ensured.
River Park Square is owned by Citizens Realty Co. and Lincoln Investment Co., affiliates of Cowles Publishing Co., which owns The Spokesman-Review.
A briefing for the council begins at 3:30 p.m. in the lower-level conference room of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
, DataTimes