Avista plans $1 million parking lot for Catalyst Building

A million-dollar parking lot will be built on East Sprague Avenue, part of Avista Corp.’s work at the south landing of the University District Gateway Bridge, according to city permits.

The lot will be attached to the Catalyst Building,

The underlying property for the parking lot was purchased by Avista in 2016 for $2 million. It most recently was assessed at $262,500 by the county.

The block at the south foot of the bridge is almost wholly-owned by the energy company. From 2016 and 2018, the utility purchased 1.5 acres on the block for nearly $4.4 million.

Construction of the $50 million Catalyst Building is underway. When complete, it will house three degree programs and about 1,000 Eastern Washington University students. Both it and the adjoining four-story Hub facility, a 40,000-square-foot companion to the Catalyst that will house a central energy plant to power both buildings, are expected to be complete in early 2020.