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

The Dirt: Developer advances plans to convert former Shopko to retail center in north Spokane

Santa Ana, California-based Rich Development Co. is advancing plans to convert a former Shopko into a retail center in north Spokane.

Building permits are under review by the city to redevelop the 94,000-square-foot building into the Esplanade at Northpointe at 9520 N. Newport Highway.

The building will be divided into three retail spaces, two of which will be occupied by Ross Dress for Less and HomeGoods, Stephen Pohl, retail managing broker at NAI Black, said in an email.

Ross Dress for Less has three stores in the Spokane area and one in Coeur d’Alene, while HomeGoods has one store at 15224 E. Indiana Ave. in Spokane Valley.

NAI Black is working on finalizing a third tenant for the building, Pohl said.

Work also includes building a 10,000-square-foot addition to the former Shopko. NAI Black is marketing the addition as two, 5,000-square-foot retail spaces for lease.

Rich Development initially filed a pre-development application with the city last year for the project, which was estimated to cost more than $2 million.

A separate building permit was filed last week to renovate 28,620 square feet of the former Shopko into Ross Dress for Less. The permit valuation is $1.2 million, according to the application.

Construction on the project is slated to begin in October, with anchor tenants to open in spring 2023, according to an NAI Black marketing flyer.

Irvine, California-based MCG Architecture is the project architect, according to the permit application.

Shopko closed its north Spokane store in 2019 after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing “excess debt and ongoing competitive pressures” in a news release.

Bruchi’s planning new South Hill location

Spokane-based sandwich chain Bruchi’s Cheesesteaks & Subs is looking to open a restaurant on the South Hill.

Spokane-based Architecture All Forms filed a pre-development application with the city to potentially build a 1,300-square-foot Bruchi’s with a drive-thru at 4416 S. Regal St.

The walk-up restaurant would not contain a dining room, according to the application.

Work includes building a commercial kitchen, patio and restrooms.

The restaurant will be built on the southeast corner of the site, according to a site plan for the project.

Bruchi’s has a location at 2804 E. 29th Ave. on the South Hill, but the store reportedly will be razed to make way for a Chick-fil-A, as reported by The Spokesman-Review in August.

Bruchi’s was founded by Bruce Greene in 1990. The restaurant chain changed its name to Bruchi’s Cheesesteaks & Subs in 1991 after its cheesesteaks gained a strong following among customers.

Bruchi’s has seven locations in the Spokane area and one in Medical Lake.

Lendmark to transform Valley retail space

Lendmark Financial Services is converting a retail space formerly occupied by Verizon into a new branch in Spokane Valley.

The city approved a building permit for renovations to the nearly 1,700-square-foot space at 4902 E. Sprague Ave., Suite C. Other tenants in the building include the Man Shop, Red Wing Shoes and Vkusniashka Euro Cafe.

The permit valuation is $140,000, according to the application.

Oregon City, Oregon-based Endres Northwest Inc. is the project contractor. Oregon Business Architecture, of Portland, is the architect.

Lendmark Financial Services, founded in 1996, has more than 400 branches in 21 states. It operates branches at 515 W. Francis Ave., Suite 4 in Spokane and 503 W. Appleway Ave., Suite G in Coeur d’Alene.