The Dirt: BECU planning South Hill location; Raising Cane’s may come to CdA

Plans have been submitted to the city of Spokane to turn a Miller Paint location into a Boeing Employees Credit Union location on the South Hill.

Submitted earlier this month, plans outline a project to renovate the roughly 4,000-square-foot space at 2501 E. 29th Ave. The development will mark BECU’s fifth location in the area, including two in Spokane and two in Spokane Valley.

The Tukwila-based credit union first opened a location in Spokane in 2016, according to Jason Rudman, executive vice president.

“We are delighted to strengthen our presence in Spokane. That gives us an opportunity to further understand and act on the community’s unique and evolving needs as we strive to empower our members on their journeys to financial freedom,” Rudman said in a news release.

At the northeast corner of 29th Avenue and Southeast Boulevard, the branch will include four offices and two bathrooms for staff, an ATM, a teller area, a waiting lobby and five meeting areas where customers can speak to BECU employees.

At the location, members will have access to services for mortgages and loans, business banking, trusts and investments, according to the news release.

The project is anticipated to be completed during the first three months of 2025. The estimated cost of construction is $300,000, according to the plans.

Raising Cane’s eyeing CdA

In the summer, Raising Cane’s submitted building plans for one of its chicken restaurants at 9252 N. Newport Highway. According to a news release, the Spokane location will open in the fall of next year.

But the project won’t be the only move to the Inland Northwest by the Baton Rouge-based company.

According to plans submitted to the city of Coeur d’Alene, the chicken chain is planning a location at 201 W. Neider Ave.

In north-central Coeur d’Alene, the location is just off of U.S. Highway 95 near Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse, Yummy Crab and the At Home store.

Little information was provided in the application documents, but developers for Raising Cane’s are planning to construct a new building on the site for the restaurant.

According to plans, the project is estimated to cost $825,000. City records show plans were first submitted last month and have faced some headwinds.

The development plans were denied initially by the city due to “Numerous issues with the site and grading plan,” city records show.

While much of the plan is still being discussed between Raising Cane’s representatives and city building officials, the Fire Department and the wastewater treatment plant have given the project the go-ahead, according to city records.

Screening from city officials regarding engineering, planning, building and parks is still ongoing, records show.

The architect of the project is PM Design Group, based in Rocklin, California.

Neither PM Group nor Raising Cane’s could immediately be reached last week.

Joya improving new location

In May 2022, Joya Child & Family Development opened their newly constructed location along the north banks of the Spokane River in the University District.

According to Joya’s website, the building is about 42,000 square feet with approximately 10,000 square feet of space left as a shell for future expansion.

Officials at the nonprofit pediatric therapy provider recently submitted plans to the city of Spokane to finish the remaining space at 1016 N. Superior St.

Work to finish the project will encompass the building’s two stories and largely consist of the building of offices, breakout rooms and conference rooms.

Building plans show that much of the classrooms have already been constructed.

“The Joya community has spent 60 years investing in the health of this program,” Colleen Fuchs, executive director, said in a 2022 news release. “If we have flourished in a church basement and an old surplus school building, what unimaginable breakthroughs are we capable of in an environment created specifically for infants, toddlers, and their families?

“This is so much more than a building,” Fuchs said.

According to permit application documents, the effort to finish the building will cost about $2.5 million.

As was the case for construction of the building, Joya hired Bouten Construction as the general contractor and NAC Architecture as the designer.