The Dirt: Spokane Falls Tower project advances

After changing its scope a few times over several years, officials at L.B. Stone Properties Group have finalized a plan for a high-rise project overlooking the Spokane Falls in early 2024.
After a public comment period in March of last year, a construction permit was sought a few months later to allow developers to build the estimated $3.5 million foundation of the structure.
Since then, much work has been ongoing on the property where a crane has been visible for months.
But last week, a permit application was submitted to the city of Spokane to construct the building, according to city records.
At 630 N. Lincoln St., the structure has been dubbed the Spokane Falls Tower. The 12-story building will comprise 36 luxury condominiums.
Units will range from two-to-three bedrooms and encompass between 1,600 and 3,000 square feet, said Wes Southwick, senior project manager at L.B. Stone, in July of last year.
Located across Broadway Avenue from the Wonder Building and adjacent to seafood restaurant Anthony’s at Spokane Falls, the project will include a fitness center, lounge, pet wash station and a courtyard overlooking the Falls.
The structure will include about 156,000 square feet and cost about $21 million to construct, plans show.
“The units have been designed in a way that they all have great views of the river and the falls,” Southwick said in July. “The pricing of the units will be released at a later date, sometime after construction of the project is underway.”
A portion of the site remains vacant, but Southwick said the residential building is all that is planned.
“There is some availability on the site for several future development possibilities, but nothing has been designed yet,” he said in July. “We have conceptually planned for the possibility of up to a 12,000-square-foot restaurant that would overlook the water – but that is still in the conceptual phase.”
Larry Stone, CEO and founder of L.B. Stone Group, paid about $3.2 million for the property in 2010, according to state Department of Revenue records.
Plans for the property became public in 2017.
“The expected completion date for the tower is spring of 2026,” Southwick said in July.
Walker Construction of Spokane are in charge of the construction of the building, and CollinsWoerman, a Spokane-based firm, designed it.
Southwick could not immediately be reached last week.
King Beverage expansion
Near the Spokane International Airport, a wholesaler for Anheuser-Busch has begun building a new distribution center.
King Beverage, a Spokane-Valley based company, is expanding its footprint from its current 92,000-square-foot facility at 6715 E. Mission Ave., according to Spokane County property records.
The new facility, at 3520 S. Geiger Blvd., will consist of a roughly 184,000-square-foot warehouse, a 25,000-square-foot loading dock and two offices each consisting of about 22,000 square feet, according to construction permits submitted for the warehouse in July of last year.
The project is planned to encompass nearly 200,000 square feet.
Earlier this month, company officials submitted plans for the two office spaces.
The $880,000 effort will build a two-story office building, plans show. The first floor will contain 18 separate offices, a break room and lounge area, and an atrium.
The second floor will contain six offices, two conference rooms, a lecture hall for training employees, and a restaurant and bar, according to plans.
The 20-acre site was purchased by Peter Rusnak, president and CEO of King Beverage, in 2021 for roughly $2 million, according to Spokane County property records.
Spokane Valley-based Divcon, Inc. is the contractor building the entire project. Architectural Ventures, also based in Spokane Valley, designed buildings.
Officials at King Beverage could not immediately be reached last week.
More building at airport
In May of last year, Spokane International Airport officials announced completion of Concourse C, a $150 million project.
While the project was a major addition to the airport, there were a handful of other projects planned. Those included revamping the rental car and ground transportation areas, a new agreement to bring local restaurants, updating signage and repaving a new runway.
And still to come, as part of the Terminal Renovation and Expansion Program that brought Concourse C, is a 145,000-square-foot central hall which will include a new security checkpoint and baggage claims for all concourses.
But earlier this month, officials announced yet another project, a new administrative building that will cost about $11 million, according to plans.
The two-story structure is planned for a 680-acre property that includes mostly vacant land and some of the southwestern portions of the airport infrastructure, including Concourse C, according to plans. Plans indicate the building will be located west of the airport concourse on West Airport Drive.
The building will be roughly 36,000 square feet consisting of a 20,000-square-foot parking garage and 13,000 square feet of office space.
The first floor is planned to include roughly 30 parking stalls, room for storage and an executive board room, according to plans.
The second story will consist of a fitness center, multiple conference rooms, a lobby and roughly 40 offices including those for directors, the chief operating officer, the chief financial officer and legal counsel, plans show.
Spokane-based Bouten Construction will build the structure and Portland-based MWA Architects designed it.
Alannah Toft, communications manager for the airport, was reached last week but did not have any details on the project.