The Dirt: 88-unit apartment complex planned for Corbin Park area

Building plans have been submitted to the City of Spokane for a project that will include four residential buildings and a clubhouse adjacent to the Faith Bible Church at 516 W. Cora Ave.

The plot, which is about 5 acres, was previously owned by the church until it was sold to one of its elders, Jim Greenup, in September of this year.

According to Greenup, who has volunteered at the church since its founding about 30 years ago, the apartment buildings will be constructed and managed separately from the church. The funds it receives from the sale will be invested into the church’s mission programs, Greenup said.

According to Spokane County data, the land sold for $300,000.

Church leaders did not develop the land, since acquiring it some 28 years ago, because they were unsure how to best use it.

Before prices of building materials spiked during COVID-19, they had worked on plans for cottage housing but the idea was scrapped, Greenup said.

But a less-densely populated community is still what he aims for.

There is enough room to squeeze as many as 120 units on the property but instead he will build fewer units because he feels it is in the best interest of stakeholders in the area, he said.

“We designed (the Cora Multi-Family project) with extra parking so as not to overflow into the church parking lot or onto the roadways nearby,” he said. “We are being very intentional not to maximize the density but instead compliment the community – we just want a great setting for people to live in.”

The project will include an electric charging station, secure bicycle storage, a dog park, raised garden beds and an activity center, Greenup said.

All units will range between one and two bedrooms and priced at the market rate.

The project is expected to be fully funded by February of next year and construction is to begin about a month later, Greenup said.

Though he said much can change, he estimates construction to take nine months. Some buildings will be completed and ready for occupancy before others.

Along with his wife, Donna Greenup, the two own Greenup Development LLC, but he says this project is separate from the company.

He has lived in Spokane for the last 50 years and is a licensed Realtor at Windermere Real Estate.

The Cora Multi-Family is funded in partnership with Spokane-based 4 Degrees Capital, he said.

Moscow hospital expanding services

Work is underway on two projects at Gritman Medical Center, the nonprofit-critical access hospital based in Moscow.

Renovation has begun on a Gritman’s clinic at 412 S. Main St. in Troy, Idaho. The facility has been closed since March due to water damage to the century-old building, according to a release from the organization.

Patient care is expected to resume at the clinic in spring 2024.

Additionally, space was purchased in downtown Moscow to expand the Gritman Therapy Solutions program.

The 16,600-square-foot space at 409 S. Jackson St. was formerly occupied by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

It was purchased by the medical provider on Sept. 29.

“We have been looking for ways to upgrade and expand our services to better care for patients,” Kara Besst, president and CEO said. “These investments allow Gritman to meet a growing demand for physical therapy services throughout the region.”

Gritman is projecting 173,000 outpatient visits in 2023 and 181,000 in 2024 across the Gritman Health System, up from about 135,000 visits in 2019.

Gritman Therapy Solutions will move into the Jackson Street space in 2024. Once vacated, the existing space at 810 S. Main St. will be converted to clinic space. The exact use of that space is undetermined.

Each investment was funded entirely through Gritman’s operating revenue and private bonding.