Larkin foresees big population jump

Post Falls could swell to 68,000 residents by 2028, Mayor Clay Larkin said Tuesday during his State of the City address.

The projection is based on an annual growth rate of 5 percent. It’s actually a conservative figure, Larkin told the crowd. If Post Falls grows faster – recent population growth is closer to 8 percent – or annexes more land for development, the city’s population of 24,000 could quadruple over the next two decades, he said.

Growth was the underlying theme of Larkin’s speech, given at the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

“Anywhere you want to look, there’s dirt moving,” he told the crowd.

In addition to new subdivisions, the city’s job base is growing. Over the past six years, the number of people working in Post Falls grew by 41 percent to 10,600.

The health care industry is one of the leaders, Larkin noted. A decade ago, fewer than 100 people worked in health care in Post Falls. With the opening of two specialty hospitals, as well as doctors’ offices and assisted living centers, the industry now employs more than 900 people.

Health care is expected to generate an additional 300 jobs in Post Falls over the next two years.

Retail jobs are also on the rise. Last year, Cabela’s announced it would build one of its sporting goods stores in Post Falls on a bluff overlooking the Spokane River.

Officials at the Sidney, Neb.-based company say the store will be 125,000 square feet, but Larkin said the blueprints he’s seen indicate a 160,000-square-foot store. About 250 people will work there.

Cabela’s wants to hold a grand opening before Thanksgiving.

Cabela’s will anchor a 200-acre retail center. The developer, Foursquare Properties, of Carlsbad, Calif., hasn’t named the other retailers.

However, “I’ll throw it out there: We’re hearing ‘Super Target,’ ” Larkin said.

With Cabela’s expected to attract several million visitors annually, the development would be an excellent spot to build a visitor center, Larkin said.