County gives city deadline on YMCA deal

If you build it, they will come. Right? Well, that’s sort of true in this case. All said building needs is an innovative developer for renovation—-we heard a green job training center, rooftop dining—-and, yes, money.

Spokane County Commissioners voted 2-1 to wait four months before taking away their offer to use Conservation Futures for the $4.3 million debt the city owes on the old YMCA building. The delay is a Hail Mary for the city to turn the space into either a residential or commercial development. In the Spokesman-Review, Commissioner Todd Mielke called the four-month extension “a challenge to the private sector.”

“If you’ve got a proposal, it’s time to bring it forward,” Mielke said. “So far, the few that we have received have lacked detail and have not been committed to a formal proposal.” Full article here .

We’ll keep you posted as this story develops.