Goodwill Industries plans renovation, expansion of South Hill location

Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest is renovating and expanding its South Hill location in Spokane following its purchase of the building this summer.

According to city permit data, the secondhand retail giant is doing $2 million worth of work at the Lincoln Heights neighborhood location at 2927 E. 27th Ave. An existing 9,760-square-foot retail store will be renovated, and a 7,165-square-foot production facility with loading docks will be built.

Goodwill has been in Lincoln Heights since 2014, when the Inland Northwest group chose the location for its fifth retail store. Goodwill first leased the former office space last used by the 50% Off Card Shop and an adjoining open parcel. It purchased the property in August for $2.2 million.

Though it’s better known for its used goods stores, the international nonprofit organization also provides job training and placement for veterans, people with disabilities or criminal backgrounds, seniors and others who otherwise face barriers to employment. In 2016, the company reported $5.7 billion in revenue, according to Forbes.

Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, one of 158 independent members of Goodwill Industries International, was founded in Spokane in 1939 and operates in 23 counties in Eastern Washington and northern Idaho.

General contractor for the Lincoln Heights project is Meridian Construction & Development, of Spokane Valley. The architect is Spokane’s Wolfe Architectural Group. – N.D.

Cemetery association considers apartment development unused land

A 55-acre site owned by the Fairmount Memorial Association in Spokane Valley could potentially be transformed into a high-density residential development.

Dwight Hume of Land Use Solutions and Entitlement LLC has filed a comprehensive plan amendment with Spokane County to change zoning of the site – located southwest of the intersection of 32nd Avenue and Pines Road – from low- to high-density residential.

An environmental study filed with the county indicates that if the comprehensive plan amendment is approved, the land could potentially be “re-platted and marketed for development purposes.”

Plans filed with the county also indicate there’s potential for a phased development that could bring more than 1,200 apartments.

“The nature of the cemetery business has changed dramatically and there is no longer a need for acreage … hence, the consideration of alternate plans for land uses similar to what the market has proven to be needed in this vicinity,” the association wrote in documents filed with the county.

The site was purchased by the Fairmount Memorial Association for $2.65 million in 2013.

The 65-acre property was approved for cemetery use in 1976, with amendments made for community business use at the southeast corner of 32nd Avenue and Pines Road. Several apartments have been built surrounding a retail center. When Spokane Valley incorporated in 2003, it didn’t include the land in city limits because it “had little tax value or need of services,” according to documents filed with the county.

The Fairmount Memorial Association indicated a 12-acre portion north of the site will continue to function as a cemetery. – A.E.

Townhomes slated for Logan neighborhood property

Four large townhomes will be built in Spokane’s Logan neighborhood on a vacant lot occupied by a small house until 2017, according to city permits.

The $730,000 project will put the two-story, four-bedroom townhomes on a 0.16-acre lot at 228 E. Baldwin Ave. Each will be 1,500 square feet.

Through their company, Baldwin Fours LLC, owners Gregory and Celestine Kuntz purchased the home and property in December 2016 for $45,800. A year later, the existing home was demolished.

The couple are doing similar infill work near Mission Park at 930 E. Sharp Ave., where they’re building a three-story townhouse with six large units. They purchased that property in July for $385,000 through a company, Columbus Rows. City documents value the townhouse project at nearly $1.23 million.

The couple are acting as the project’s general contractor, according to city documents. – N.D.