Eugster proposes plan to save Rookery, Mohawk buildings

Tue., Nov. 1, 2005

By Alison Boggs alisonb@spokesman.com (509) 459-5314

Former Spokane City Councilman Steve Eugster proposed a plan to the council Monday to save downtown Spokane’s historic Rookery and Mohawk buildings, which have been scheduled for demolition.

Eugster proposes that the city use a public development authority, which can issue tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds, to acquire the property. He suggested condemning the property and paying property owner Wendell Reugh fair market value for it if negotiating a purchase price is not possible.

Reugh has been trying to sell the acre for years, asking prices that range between $4.5 million and $5.6 million. However, the owner of a demolition company Reugh hired said last week that the only thing standing in the way of demolition is the appropriate city permits.

Eugster’s proposal is endorsed by Spokane Preservation Advocates, which have rallied and gathered signatures on petitions, trying to save the buildings.

Under Eugster’s proposal, once the property had been purchased it would be made available to private developers for redevelopment. Several developers, most notably Ron Wells, have proposed a variety of uses for the block, including retail, housing and other commercial space.

City Council President Dennis Hession directed city staff to investigate Eugster’s idea. Eugster also urged the council to talk to Wells, who has invested the most time and energy into coming up with a viable redevelopment proposal for the land.

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