The Dirt: Burlington Coat Factory to become self-storage

After Burlington Coat Factory earlier announced its decision to move next door, company officials have submitted plans to convert its former space into a self-storage operation.

The retail business at 5830 N. Division St. plans to move into the former Bed Bath & Beyond, according to previous reports, which is 84% smaller than its previous store. It’s expected to cost about $1.1 million to renovate that space.

Within a few days of news breaking about its move, Burlington officials filed permits to convert their former home, a 140,000-square-foot building, into a self-storage operation.

The 6.55-acre property located in the Franklin Park Commons is owned by Burlington Coat Factory Realty, according to Spokane County property records.

The project, dubbed Burlington Self Storage, would transform the two-story formal retail space into 926 self-storage units, according to plans.

The effort would involve a complete remodel of the space. Units will range from 25 square feet to 375 square feet, plans show.

The effort is not the first such project.

A Burlington location in East Windsor, Connecticut, was purchased and converted to self-storage, according to the Hartford Business Journal. Another in Cathedral City, California, was purchased and turned into a storage facility for recreational vehicles, according to the Desert Sun.

Burlington officials were also behind their own conversion project in Derry, New Hampshire, according to Inside Self-Storage, a trade publication.

The Spokane project was designed by Jackson Main Architecture. David Huang, of the Seattle firm, was listed as the primary contact for the project, according to permit application documents.

Reached last week, Huang declined to comment, saying that he did not have the client’s authorization to discuss the project.

Event space for the Steam Plant

Since the Steam Plant was purchased in 2021 by Spokane real estate developer Jerry Dicker, it has been in operation as Steam Plant Restaurant and Pub.

The location underwent a $4 million renovation by its previous owner, Avista Corp., to transform it into the historic dining experience it is today, according to previous Spokesman-Review reports.

Developers have submitted plans to the city of Spokane for further renovations for the space at 159 S. Lincoln St.

GVD Commercial Properties, a Spokane-based development and property management firm owned by Dicker, is behind the project, application documents show.

The proposed project would add an event space for the building’s third floor. The effort will include the implementation of a full bar, draft beer cooler, dishwasher, cocktail station, piano and seating for 48 people.

A separate space, dubbed the “wine room,” will include a television, couch and seating for an additional 10 people, according to plans.

Designed by Bremerton-based Rice Fergus Miller architectural firm, the project will be built by Maurer Construction Inc., of Spokane, according to application documents.

Kristie Jones, property manager for GVD, could not immediately be reached for comment last week.

STA plans new bus stops and routes

The Spokane Transit Authority submitted permit application documents to the city of Spokane to allow the construction of a handful of bus stops connecting downtown Spokane to Mead.

The “Division Street Bus Rapid Transit” is a new route that will include 45 bus stops and feature prepaying capabilities, real-time bus tracking, raised platforms and more frequent bus arrivals so riders can go to stops without needing to check arrival times, according to STA spokesperson Carly Cortright.

Cortight said in an email Thursday morning that the plans don’t call for construction until 2027.

“We are submitting the permits for plan review in sections along the corridor,” she said. “These are simply the next set of stations.”

Permit application documents submitted recently included stops planned for locations where Division Street intersects with Wellesley , Garland , Empire and Bridgeport avenues.

Although completion of the route is tentatively planned for 2030 in conjunction with the North Spokane Corridor, Cortright said applying for permits early in its design phase is part of the overall plan.

“We learned from our first bus-rapid-transit project, city line, (that) plan review earlier in the project is beneficial,” she said, “so that’s why the permits were filed at this time.”