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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Earth moving in full swing at Project Rose site near Spokane Airport

Heavy equipment moves soil at the Project Rose Fulfillment Center site at 10010 W. Geiger Blvd. on Thursday, July 12, 2018. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)

An army of machines is moving large quantities of dirt at the site of what’s called the Project Rose Fulfillment Center.

The 79 acres are being graded at 10010 W. Geiger Blvd. in preparation for utility work, when the site’s underlying infrastructure will be installed. A permit for that work is pending with the county.

“It’s quite a large site so there’s quite a bit of dirt to move around,” said Randy Vissia, Spokane County’s building and code enforcement director.

Though information about the site’s eventual tenant is sparse, according to documents filed with the state, the primary structure will have a footprint of 639,000 square feet and encompass more than 2.5 million square feet over four stories. Permits filed with the county describe a three-story building.

A traffic analysis for the project shows the building will house upwards of 2,288 employees, with a seasonal peak of 2,963 during November and December. The analysis states that “completion and full occupancy” for the project is forecast for fall 2019.

Despite widespread rumors the structure will be an Amazon fulfillment center, Vissia said he didn’t know the identity of the tenant. Even if he did, Vissia said he couldn’t disclose the name because of a non-disclosure agreement. He said it was up to the company when it would reveal its identity and said that revelation could be delayed until directly before it begins operation.

Regardless, Vissia estimated construction would begin on the structure before the winter.

The rough grading permit was issued to Coffman Engineers, of Spokane.