The Dirt: Charlie’s Produce building new facility on the West Plains
Seattle-based Charlie’s Produce is planning to build a new facility on the West Plains.
Alex Plummer, executive vice president of Charlie’s Produce LLC, filed a building permit application with Spokane County to build a 72,000-square-foot warehouse with cold storage and a 12,000-square-foot office at 6505 W. 40th Ave.
Construction on the facility is expected to begin in November, with completion slated for October 2023, according to an environmental review submitted to the Washington state Department of Ecology.
About 120 to 150 employees will work at the facility upon completion, according to the environmental review.
The permit valuation is $16.9 million, according to the application.
Plummer declined to comment on the project.
Triple B Ventures LLC, whose principals are Charlie’s Produce co-founder Charles Billow and the company’s chief financial officer, Dwayne Wilson, purchased the 7-acre vacant site for more than $1.3 million in February, Spokane County Assessor’s Office records indicate.
Spokane-based Fisher Construction Group is the project contractor, according to the permit application.
Billow, Terry Bagley and Ray Bowen founded Charlie’s Produce in 1978 with a vision of “raising the bar” on quality, inventory and logistics of moving produce from farm to market, according to the company’s website.
Charlie’s Produce supplies restaurants, grocery stores and wholesalers with fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and more. The company also has a line of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and salads, in addition to offering snack trays, salsas and ready-to-cook vegetable kits.
Charlie’s Produce Spokane opened in 1997 at 3530 E. Ferry Ave. It serves North Idaho, Eastern Washington, Montana and northeast Oregon. The company also operates distribution centers in Seattle, Portland, Boise, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Anchorage, Alaska.
Former school district facility to be wood truss plant
A Dallas-based structural building product supplier is converting the former Central Valley School District Operations Center into a wood truss plant.
Builders FirstSource Inc. filed a predevelopment application with the city of Spokane Valley earlier this month to change the use of the facility at 19307 E. Cataldo Ave.
Builders FirstSource operates a store adjacent to the former Central Valley site at 19207 E. Cataldo Ave. It also has a location at 10310 E. Montgomery Ave. in Spokane Valley.
Spokane County Assessor’s Office records show the Central Valley School District sold the site to Cataldo Valley LLC for $6.1 million in August 2021.
Builders FirstSource, founded in 1998, operates 565 distribution and manufacturing facilities in 42 states. It primarily supplies builders with product for new residential construction, repair and remodeling, according to the company’s website.
The Central Valley School District’s board of directors voted in April to relocate the district’s operations center to the former Hite Crane site at 17515 E. Appleway Ave. The operations center oversees maintenance and transportation.
REI store in West Central to undergo renovation
REI’s is planning to remodel its store in West Central, according to a building permit application under review by the city of Spokane.
The permit specifies REI’s retail area, checkout counters, restrooms and storage area will all undergo renovations. Exterior improvements include updating ADA parking spaces and accessible ramps at the store, 1125 N. Monroe St.
Washington, D.C.-based CallisonRTKL is the project architect. A contractor has not been determined.
The permit valuation is $589,000, according to the application.
REI, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Seattle, carries outdoor gear, apparel and footwear. REI opened its Spokane store in 1986. It has 178 locations nationwide.