Visibly growing

Every day, thousands of cars drive Interstate 90 between Pines Road to Liberty Lake, and they pass by large, lit-up signs advertising mega-retailers and businesses.

But to those business owners, those cars don’t dispense smog and noise. Instead they are piggy banks waiting to be spent on the most visible business fronts.

The last two years have seen an explosion of growth along I-90 in the Valley, with around 20 businesses popping up where there used to be weeds. Owners of businesses, from the under-construction Furniture Row in the west to George Gee Automotive in the east, can agree on the driving force behind locating near a major transportation corridor: Visibility.

“It definitely does help,” said Chuck Bayha, an assistant general manager at Hooters in Spokane Valley. His store opened in 2005 and has large, orange signs attracting drivers from the freeway. “A lot of people who might not have known Hooters was here will stop in and become customers.”

Bayha said many people stop by when passing through, especially from far-away locales like Montana. Studies by Hooters Corporate reveal that the restaurant does best when located next to major transportation corridors, he said. Recently the chain opened locations one block from Interstate 5 in Tacoma, and another near the freeway by Jantzen Beach in Portland.

“Wherever we can get a big cluster of people,” Bayha said.

The freeway cuts right through the middle of Liberty Lake, and lot by lot, buildings are springing up along the way.

This year saw the construction of a new Home Depot, an RV lot and an outdoor recreation shop, all directly facing the Interstate. Several smaller businesses also were built, including a Century 21 branch and a Sterling Savings Bank branch.

Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson said the city is anxiously awaiting the expansion of Interstate 90 from two to three lanes each way, as well as a new interchange at Exit 294 on the city’s west edge.

“Exposure is what’s driving all the retail growth out here right now,” he said. Liberty Lake has the advantage of being a blank slate when it comes to planning and new construction, and the city knew that freeway businesses would be a big draw, Peterson said.

“It used to be Liberty Lake was ‘way out there,’ ” Peterson said. “When people realize how easy it is to transverse the newly expanded freeway, it makes us a wonderfully setup community to get the benefits from it.”

Within a few years, the city will see even more growth along the Interstate. North of the freeway, several large retailers are looking at building, and a few hotels may also sprout up, Peterson said.

“There are lots of plans but nothing has come to fruition yet, other than the fact we’re going to do this,” he said.

Since people tend to avoid living next to freeways, cities often zone the areas near freeways as commercial, said Greg McCormick, planning manager for Spokane Valley.

“Big retailers want to have good visibility,” he said. “One of the first things they look at is drive-by traffic.”

Revisions at major interchanges at Sullivan, Pines and Evergreen have made getting from the freeway to the street much easier, he said.

One stretch of Interstate 90 that has been mainly residential will likely remain that way for a while, McCormick said. The freeway between Flora and Barker is mostly lined by homes, and the city has no plans to change that anytime soon, he said.