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

The Dirt: June & Co. returns to downtown Spokane, plus, repairs at the fire-ravaged Ridpath

The Ridpath Club Apartments building, a former hotel at 515 W. Sprague Ave. in downtown Spokane, contains 206 rental units.  (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Tod Stephens For The Spokesman-Review

Heralding itself as a “fancy dive bar,” June & Co operated in a quaint building near the intersection of Browne Street and Main Avenue until it closed in September of last year, according to its website.

But last week, developers submitted plans to the city of Spokane to reopen at 123 S. Wall St., alongside Europa Restaurant and Bakery.

The new location will be larger than its previous one at 215 W. Main Ave., which was only 308 square feet. The drinkery was painted white except for large letters on its storefront spelling “BAR.”

The new location, adjacent to where Wall Street meets the railroad, will be about 900 square feet and have seating for 32 people, plans show.

The owner, Peter Froese, is also the chef and owner of Gander & Ryegrass, according to reports from the Spokane Journal of Business.

In addition to Europa, Froese will also share the building with Propaganda Creative, a Spokane-based advertisement firm.

The building is owned by RenCorp realty, according to Spokane County property records.

Plans for the new bar were submitted by Tim Short, employee of RenCorp, and was listed in documents as the contractor. He did not return correspondence attempts by Thursday afternoon.

Froese could not be reached at Gander & Ryegrass, as the operation is closed for a winter break.

Ridpath to undergo fire restoration work

The Ridpath, previously a hotel, sat vacant for decades before a $22 million project to revitalize the structure.

Thanks to developers Paul Mann and his late wife, Janet, and now-disgraced real estate developer Ron Wells, the building was transformed into a 206-unit residential structure, mostly of affordable homes, named the Ridpath Club Apartments.

Last month, a fire broke out in a unit of the building at 515 W. Sprague Ave. Though the fire was quickly extinguished by Spokane Fire Department personnel, the fire sprinkler suppression system in the building damaged multiple units.

The fire occurred not in the taller, 13-story structure, but the adjacent four-story structure known as the “Y,” which consists of 40 units.

According to plans submitted to the City of Spokane, the interior of 10 units will need to be rebuilt.

Work on the units required the demolition of their interior, including flooring, countertops, insulation, drywall, refrigerators, microwave ovens, sinks and cabinets, plans show.

Toby Knotts, of BELFOR Property Restoration, a Spokane Valley-based firm, is the listed contractor for the project. Knotts was not at liberty to discuss the project, he said.

Mann could not be reached for comment.

South Hill residential project

What used to be the location of Fantasy Farm Children’s Center, a day care provider on the South Hill near Trader Joe’s, may soon be home to four townhomes.

The roughly 6,600-squarefoot home would be converted into two units. Each would consist of four bedrooms, a garage, two bathrooms and about 1,500 square feet of extra space.

Plans show a second structure being built on the site, but building plans were not submitted to the city for the project.

The 0.81-acre property has been owned by Joyce Peterschick for decades.

Plans were submitted by Aaron Nolting, owner of Uni Development, a real estate development company based in Spokane Valley.

Nolting said the project is still in preliminary phases.

“The asset has been on the market for a while now, so we are just exploring the possibilities,” he said. “We are not looking to get permits or anything yet. We are proposing to the city some zone changes for a denser residential project to see how the city reacts.”

According to plans, Peterschick wishes to rezone the plot into three separate properties, one including the previous day care and its parking lot, another containing the second residential building, and a third vacant lot.

If all goes well, Nolting intends to purchase the property, he said.