Riverbluff Ranch Going High-Tech

At this point, there isn’t much more to Riverbluff Ranch than a billboard and 2,000 acres of snow-covered forest land.

But if its planners’ dreams are realized, the real estate development will be a high-tech, high-dollar subdivision, custom built for a new wave of cyber pioneers.

To be built from the ground up wired with fiber optics, Riverbluff Ranch will be made up of luxurious “smart” homes wired together in a “smart” neighborhood, says lead developer Chris Heftel.

“A new community for a new millennium,” is Heftel’s buzz phrase.

Riverbluff Ranch sits on hilly country northwest of Spokane and adjacent to the Little Spokane River Natural Area. It’s rustic location may attract telecommuters who can work at home and want to live in a rural environment near the amenities of a city, Heftel said.

Lots will initially be sold in 10-acre parcels, and they will be clustered to maintain the area’s natural beauty, with hundreds of acres set aside for hiking and horseback riding, he said.

The community will be wired by Avista Fiber, a subsidiary of Avista utilities, and employ high-speed computer equipment manufactured by Spokane’s Packet Engines.

Of course, none of this comes cheaply. Lots will start a $100,000. Finished homes will be in the neighborhood of $500,000, Heftel said.

For certain people, those high prices can make a lot of sense, said Brian MacLeod, vice-president of business development for Packet.

“If you can do your job four times as efficiently (because you live in a wired community) and you can take Friday off, all of a sudden you’re willing to pay more,” MacLeod said.

But the project is not without risks.

David Black, chief executive officer of Tomlinson Black Real Estate, commends Heftel for his vision, but hopes he can afford to be patient. The market for high-end, wired homes may materialize slowly, Black cautioned.

“I think (the target market) is a little narrow,” Black said. “He needs to anticipate a pretty long holding period. I wouldn’t plan on selling more than five or 10 a year. If you’re planning on 40 or 50 lots a year, you might as well pack it in.”

Thus far, however, nothing has been sold.

Currently, an access road is being built and construction is scheduled to begin this spring on two homes, one for Heftel, the other a model. Full-fledged development will start in 2000.

A businessman and lawyer originally from Hawaii, Heftel purchased Riverbluff in August for nearly $3 million, according to county records.

He was introduced to Spokane by his wife, who is from the area, and he was impressed by the opportunity presented by the land and his technology partners.

While Heftel has been involved in real estate development in Hawaii and Nashville, Tenn., where he now lives, it’s never been on this scale. Most of his time has been spent on entertainment law and international business.

Real estate “was not my lifelong profession,” he said. “But it is now.”

Empire Ford has taken another step toward moving to Airway Heights, but Empire owner Nate Greene said he still hasn’t decided if the dealership is moving from downtown.

According to Greene, the Ford Motor Company has purchased a lot on Highway 2 that one day could be sold or leased to Empire.

Before that happens, however, a number of issues must be settled, including getting the approval of the two other Ford dealers in Spokane, Wendle and McCollum.

Empire Ford also must determine if the move makes financial sense. Although Greene has said that Empire’s current location on Third Avenue is too small and lacks customer parking, it’s not clear that a move to Airway Heights is the answer.

Results to a poll of Empire’s service customers about a move were mixed, Greene said.

Margins: Nobles, a downtown office supply store, is closing its store on North Post. It will continue its commercial business, however. … Papa John’s Pizza will open its first Spokane franchise at Cedar Tree Plaza at 101 N. Argonne. It will be owned by franchisee Mike Carnovali, who has opened Papa John’s pizzerias in Coeur d’Alene and Moses Lake. … Windermere Real Estate has opened an office in Colfax. The office is owned and operated by Gary Kopf and Lynn Cain. … Lamonts Apparel, which has clothing stores at the Manito and Shadle centers, is entering into merger discussions with Troutman, an Oregon-based chain of clothing stores. Lamonts posted better than expected holiday sales, with a 10 percent increase over December of 1997.

NEW FEATURE The Retail & Real Estate column is published each Wednesday. Please send your comments, ideas and suggestions to Oliver Staley at (509)-459-5445 or by e-mail at olivers@spokesman.com.