Here’s the Dirt: To the Edge of completion

A $4.2 million project that’s transforming the former Western Soap building into The Edge condominiums should wrap up this fall.

Crews are currently working on the façade of the 1907 structure at 103 E. Sprague Ave.

“It’s not going to look anything like it does now. It will look more modern and contemporary,” said Chris Batten, co-founder of RenCorp, the architecture, brokerage and construction firm that is the managing member of The Edge Development Group LLC.

Batten said the development group acquired the building next door and to the east of The Edge and will create retail space there. It also purchased a warehouse behind The Edge that will be used for storage for condo residents, he said.

Renovation of the five-story building includes a rooftop garden with panoramic views of the city and nearby University District and a patio for entertaining. The condos integrate amenities such as stainless steel with the original structure’s classic wood beams, cement and brickwork. So far, five of the 19 units, which range in size from 790- to 1,221-square feet and in price from $199,000 up to $349,000, have sold, Batten said.

Projects progressing on West First Avenue

The purchase of the Otis Hotel, on First Avenue and Madison Street, should close by September, said Batten, whose development company is buying the 167-unit building that needs major upgrades and has housed a mix of low-income renters and convicted felons.

RenCorp is also in the midst of a $5 million update on the New Madison Apartments, also on First Avenue, that will wrap up in 2008. The 67-unit complex will have 20 units that rent for lower rates for people who make 30 to 50 percent of the area’s median income, Batten said. The fifth floor will have higher-end apartments and the rest will be market rate, he said.

“It’s a major renovation,” he said, adding that the units will be reconfigured to create a more usable layout. The project, owned by a Seattle group that formed Spokane Partners LLC, should be done in May.

South side office complex has room for one more tenant

A new $1.9 million office complex, at 20th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, across from Manito Park, should be complete by the end of the year, said Mark Wrenn, who owns the two buildings with his brother, Gregory Wrenn of Mountain View, Calif.

The buildings comprise 10,000 square feet, including partial basements, Mark Wrenn said, and two physicians have agreements to lease space there.

“It’s wonderfully located because it’s so close to Sacred Heart and the medical district, but you’re still in the nice residential part of the South Hill with a gorgeous view of the park,” he said.

The complete complex will have a residential feel with rock on the exterior and extensive landscaping, he said. OMS Inc. of Spokane is the architect and Ken Marsh is the builder.

Skyhawks to sponsor indoor soccer center at U-District Physical Therapy

Spokane-based Skyhawks, a sports camp provider that started in 1979 and has served more than 1 million children nationwide, is a sponsor for the indoor center and will run camps, clinics and leagues there. Skyhawks recently started offering franchises.

The complex, on North Hamilton Street, near Gonzaga University, is a partnership with Champion Sports Medicine and U-District Physical Therapy.

According to a news release, future plans include a team shop, concessions, extended spectator seating and a “club house” with plush couches and a flat screen TV.