The Dirt: Affinity at Mirabeau senior living complex nears completion; developers plan more apartments for McKinley School mixed-use project

Construction is nearing completion for Affinity at Mirabeau, a senior-living community in Spokane Valley.

Affinity at Mirabeau, slated to open in August, will span 180,000 square feet and include 170 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with garages and parking at 13525 E. Carlisle Ave., east of CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

Pre-leasing is underway at the property’s temporary leasing office at 16114 E Indiana Ave., Suite 105, said Stephanie Stobie, head of marketing for Affinity Living Communities.

“We have had substantial interest thus far and units are going fast,” Stobie said in an email. “We are pleased with the amount of people in the Spokane Valley area who are familiar with Affinity and are excited to see the new community opening in their own backyard.”

Monthly apartment rents start at $1,500, which includes all utilities, cable and high-speed internet. The units feature quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, a washer and dryer, and private balconies and patios.

More than 30,000 square feet of the property is dedicated to amenities, including an indoor saltwater pool and spa, movie theater, fitness center, dog wash spa and park, crafts studio, community garden, Dilly Dally’s pub and more.

Spokane-based Inland Group is the project developer and contractor.

Inland Group was founded in 1973 and specializes in development of high-density residential and commercial projects.

Affinity Living Communities operates 26 senior-living apartment complexes in seven states. It has two senior-living communities in the Spokane area, in addition to Affinity at Mirabeau. It also operates a senior-living complex in Coeur d’Alene.

Next phase planned for McKinley School project

InterUrban Development is planning a second phase of its McKinley School mixed-use project that will bring more than 200 apartments to the site.

The city of Spokane recently submitted an environmental review to the Washington state Department of Ecology for the project’s second phase that indicated InterUrban will construct three additional buildings on the site at 120 N. Magnolia St., adjacent to the historic McKinley School.

A site plan for the project’s second phase indicates a five-story, 48,320-square-foot building with 88 apartments and possibility of a bar on the ground level.

A second, four-story building will also span more than 48,000 square feet and contain 88 apartments, while a third, three-story, 22,000-square-foot building will contain retail space on the ground floor and 24 residential units on its upper floors, according to the site plan.

An existing 9,800-square-foot concrete warehouse on the site will be demolished to make way for the new buildings.

About 200 to 250 people would live and work at the site, according to the environmental review.

Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in the fall.

Spokane City Council on Monday approved a 12-year multifamily housing tax exemption for the McKinley School project. The exemption is intended to spur more housing development in Spokane. Under the tax exemption agreement, 20% of the project’s residential units must be dedicated to low- and moderate-income tenants.

The project is estimated to cost $10 million to $25 million, according to city documents.

InterUrban Development submitted a building permit application in December for shell and site work for McKinley School, which will be converted into office, dining and residential space.

The permit is currently under review by the city.

Terrain Gallery moving to Monroe Street

Spokane-based nonprofit Terrain is moving its gallery to a historic building on Monroe Street.

Spokane-based Reese Performance Projects LLC, the project contractor, filed a change of use application with the city to convert a former hair salon to a nearly 2,400-square-foot art gallery and book store at 628 N. Monroe St.

Renovation work includes adding new walls, replacing flooring and installing gallery lighting.

The estimated renovation cost is $25,000, according to the permit application.

The three-story Holmes Block building, constructed in 1904, is on the Spokane Register of Historic Places.

Architect Isaac J. Galbraith designed the building for saloon keeper James C. Holmes, who used the main floor as a store until 1907, when he converted it to a saloon. The building served as a saloon until Washington state passed a prohibition law in 1915, according to a historic register nomination document.

The building’s second and third stories have been used for hotel rooms, apartments and offices.

In addition to Terrain Gallery, the building will house the Center for Children’s Book Arts, a workshop space, Spokast! and Spokane Workers Cooperative.

“The move allows for greater visibility and more autonomy, not only for the gallery itself but the artists we serve, and we cannot wait to share it with all of you,” Terrain wrote on its website.

Terrain Gallery was previously in the Washington Cracker Co. building in downtown Spokane.