Greenstone Corp. building urban, mixed-use town center in Liberty Lake

Greenstone Corp., the developer of Kendall Yards, is building a new urban, walkable mixed-use town center in Liberty Lake’s River District.

Greenstone recently announced development is underway for NoLL – or North Liberty Lake – a commercial town center located west of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Harvard Road.

NoLL, when complete, will consist of 15 to 20 buildings with 100 to 150 residential units and 50,000 to 75,000 square feet of retail and office space, said Jim Frank, founder of Greenstone Corp.

The buildings will be a mix of one, two and three stories with some containing retail on the ground level and residential units on the upper floors, Frank said.

“It would have the same kind of feel as Kendall Yards with idea being that buildings face the street,” Frank said. “It is intended to be a focal point of the River District project and provide a range of services within walking distance for the people that live there.”

The NoLL town center project is estimated to cost between $50 to $75 million and be built in phases, Frank said.

Four buildings are currently under construction with another four to five buildings expected to break ground later this year, Frank said.

“We are thinking it will be about five years to build the whole district out,” Frank said. “We want it to happen organically and with a focus on local Spokane businesses and people who make products locally here.”

The North Liberty Lake development will feature artisan food producers, which could include a bread maker, cidery or brewery, Frank said.

Greenstone Corp. is the project contractor. Architect Steve Cox, of Seattle-based Shoesmith Cox Architects, designed some of the initial buildings for the NoLL project as part of the River District’s master plan.

Other architects will design individual buildings for the project in the future, Frank said.

The NoLL development’s community center at 21802 E. Indiana Ave. is partially open and is home to Maverick’s Men’s Hair, Spokane Business Attorneys, and a community meeting space. Greenstone is also moving its design center into the building, Frank said.

NoLL was envisioned about 15 years ago as part of the River District’s initial design.

The River District is a large 600-acre, master-planned community located between I-90 and the Spokane River on the north side of Liberty Lake.

The city of Liberty Lake has a “very forward thinking” set of development regulations that allow for a wide range of residential uses, including townhomes, cottages and small-multifamily buildings to be built within the same neighborhood, Frank said.

Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas said she’s excited about the North Liberty Lake project. She said the project aligns with the city’s core values of partnership and financial sustainability.

“This plan was put in place in 2008 and we have been looking forward to it ever since,” Kaminskas said.

To improve traffic flow between I-90 and the River District, the city last year added a northbound lane to Harvard Road.

Greenstone is also installing a traffic light at Indiana Avenue and a roundabout at Wellington Parkway, Kaminskas added.

“This project will not only provide reasons for our residents to stay in Liberty Lake to shop, eat, drink, and do other business, but it will also attract visitors from outside of the city limits to do the same,” she said.