Developer Hanson Wants To Build On Shoreline

Despite optimistic predications last fall, shoppers won’t be rushing to any grand opening sales this year at a proposed commercial development just east of the Spokane Valley Mall.

Construction at the Market Pointe II development has been delayed at least a year by developer Raymond Hanson’s plans to build a road and several buildings within a shoreline area of the Spokane River designated as pastoral.

To move forward, Hanson will need to get the county to approve an amendment to the Spokane County Shoreline Map. He’ll also need to convince the state Department of Ecology, which has been critical of the project, not to reject the amendment.

Bob Boyle, vice president of Hanson Industries, didn’t return several phone calls this week regarding the project.

Drawings filed with the county represent Market Pointe II as a development containing a hotel, restaurant and at least seven other retail establishments ranging in size from 4,000 to 36,000 square feet. The development would sit between the Spokane River and Indiana Avenue, just east of the Valley Mall.

The land, once used as farmland, is almost entirely zoned for regional business, or B-3. But a strip along the shore, into which Market Pointe II would intrude by about 70 feet, is designated pastoral under the shoreline program, and general agricultural under the zoning code.

Both designations will need to be adjusted to allow the planned construction to proceed. Several other requirements also must be met before a building permit is issued, but the shoreline amendment - which involves two public hearings - is the most critical and uncertain, Nunnery said.

The project is viewed with skepticism by DOE Shorelands Specialist Doug Pineo, but it’s being praised by Spokane County Shoreline Administrator John Nunnery. Nunnery believes the project is very environmentally sensitive, considering the shoreline has a limited number of birds and mammals, and already is impacted by the Centennial Trail.

Hanson’s design for Market Pointe II uses the buildings to buffer the shoreline from human and vehicle traffic, and includes plans to plant about 250 native trees between the buildings and the Centennial Trail. The backs of the buildings, which face the trail, will be painted with neutral colors and sillouettes of trees. Hanson Industries also plans to improve recreational opportunities by building a small canoe launch in the area.

“I think from the shoreline and habitat and wildlife point of view, this is something we’d want everyone to do along the river,” Nunnery said.

Pineo disagrees, saying the experience of the shoreline environment would be diminished by the construction of several large, nearby buildings.

Nunnery said he’s trying to work with DOE officials to try to answer their concerns, and prevent a surprise last-minute rejection that could further delay the project.

Haggling over Hanson’s contribution to the Evergreen Road interchange put the Market Pointe II project on hold last year, leading to a loss of several potential retail tenants. The current shoreline amendment requirement, Nunnery said, will mean construction probably won’t be able to start until next spring, at the earliest. And that’s if several needed approvals go as Hanson hopes.

If the amendment isn’t approved, Hanson will have to redesign Market Pointe II.

Market Pointe II is part of the larger Hanson Center project, which will include several commercial complexes on land Hanson owns east and west of the Spokane Valley Mall. Together, the developments would offer more than 1 million square feet of new commercial space.