Office Building Will Be Erected Atop Sunset Hill

Construction is expected to begin in April on a new home for Northwest Farm Credit Services at the top of the Sunset Hill.

The Spokane County hearing examiner last month approved a zone change allowing a new three-story office building at Sunset Boulevard and Assembly.

A 40-foot-high building will be perched on top of a 30-foot rock bluff at the intersection.

“It has fantastic views of the city,” said Greg Arger of Arger Capital Corp., Spokane, the owner of the project.

As many as 150 employees will move to the new facility when it opens, Arger said.

Last year, farm credit officials said they had 110 employees scheduled to move to the new location.

The new building will include about 56,000 square feet of custom-designed office space on three floors above ground and one daylight basement level. Arger declined to specify an amount for the projected cost until after he receives construction bids from contractors.

Most of the space will be used by Northwest Farm Credit Services, a member-owned association of 19,000 farmers in the region. The organization provides loan services to farmers in five states.

Portions of the top floor will be available for lease, Arger said.

Hearing Examiner Mike Dempsey approved the zone change from its former designation as semirural to a new designation as an industrial park.

In his decision last month, Dempsey said the property is just outside the Spokane city limits and is considered part of the city’s fringe area.

The city’s plan for its fringe area calls for development of offices and other urban uses that can be connected to nearby city water and sewer lines.

The intersection of Sunset and Assembly is adjacent to other commercial uses, including motels and office parks.

Arger said landscaping on the 4.2-acre site will include trails and seating areas so employees can enjoy the outdoors during breaks.

The farm credit system will save money on its lease costs by moving out of its current location in the Farm Credit Bank Building downtown. Also, a Valley office of Farm Credit Services will close, and its employees will move to the Sunset Hill office.

The parent lender, AgAmerica Farm Credit Bank, announced last year it is consolidating its Spokane operation to Sacramento, Calif.

Both the AgAmerica bank and Northwest Farm Credit Services will no longer occupy space in the Farm Credit Bank Building downtown.

Arger said his company plans to build and operate the new building for 20 years or more. As a result, the firm will put better quality building materials into the project to ensure it has low maintenance costs and is energy efficient.

Arger Capital built the CenterPointe Business Park on North Argonne in the Spokane Valley, where the company has its office.

Architect for the new office building is John Aylor of Aylor & Co.

Building permits are pending with the county, he said.

, DataTimes