The Dirt: Developers planning apartment building near County Courthouse

Dozens of units of housing are planned to be constructed on a vacant lot just north of Kendall Yards.

Still in early design phases, developers are exploring the feasibility of either a four-story building with 38 units or a five-story building with 53 units, according to plans submitted to the city of Spokane.

At 1505 W. Broadway Ave., the location is at the southwest corner of Broadway Avenue and Walnut Street, adjacent to the Walnut Corners mixed-use building that houses Indaba Coffee Roasters in its street-level floor.

Dubbed the Broadway Apartments, the potential development is planned to encompass two properties purchased by Bryce and Kelly Clary for $330,000 in April, according to Spokane County property records.

Plans were submitted as part of the pre-development process, which gives developers the opportunity to garner feedback from city building officials before construction permits are sought.

Plans for the five-story and four-story buildings will include studio, two-bedroom and one-bedroom units.

The five-story build will feature parking at its street level, a mix of parking and apartment units at the second level, and apartment units for the upper floors.

The smaller four-story building will consist of parking, a lobby and mail room on the street level floor, and apartments on the upper floors.

Each building layout will include a fitness room, plans show.

The project was designed by Press Architecture, a Spokane-based firm. Plans were submitted by Drew Kleman, principal of the firm.

Efforts to reach Kleman were unsuccessful last week.

Tiny Tiki bar, new location

In a move that will triple its seating capacity, Tiny Tiki will move to a location just a few doors west of its previous location, according to plans submitted to the city of Spokane.

At 319 W. 2nd Ave., the new location is separated from the old location by just one building, which houses Hit Fitness.

The new location of Tiny Tiki previously was the home of Lolo Boutique, which has since relocated to 108 N. Washington St.

Caleb Ingersoll, owner of Tiny Tiki, was not planning to move the bar. But he was given the opportunity by the owner of the new location, Dan Spalding.

The two had crossed paths in 2019 when Ingersoll opened the music venue Lucky You Lounge in a building owned by Spalding.

“He approached me about this, and I’ve had a great experience with him in the past, so it just worked out,” Ingersoll said. “And the space was perfect.”

In addition to co-owning Lucky You, which closed during the coronavirus pandemic, Ingersoll also co-owned the Bartlett, an all-ages music venue that closed in 2019.

Ingersoll acquired Tiny Tiki from his friend, Claire Fieberg, in 2023. The bar had a capacity of around 18 customers, he said. At the new location, Ingersoll will be able to offer more events.

“What I’m most excited about with the bigger space is the opportunity for more event-driven things like trivia nights, live music and karaoke,” he said. “The environment is fun to be in because it’s kitschy and over the top, and events would be a great addition.”

Not only does the new space offer more indoor seating, it also has a 350-square-foot patio, according to plans.

“Bringing live music and a patio just adds more reasons to come and stay a while and enjoy your time there,” he said. “It creates a little more community around the business itself, which I really like.”

Ingersoll estimated that he will open the new location in July.

Shadle Park McDonald’s makeover

Plans to demolish and replace the McDonald’s located in the Shadle Park Shopping Center were submitted to the city of Spokane earlier this month.

Located at 2211 W. Wellesley Ave., the current location is 6,200 square feet, has a single-lane drive-thru and offers eight parking spaces.

The new build would include a roughly 4,500-square-foot restaurant, two drive-thru lanes and eight stalls of parking.

A major difference in the new build is the omission of an indoor playground. Known as a McDonald’s PlayPlace, the move follows a national trend by the company to remove the play areas, citing safety and sanitary concerns, according to published reports.

The Shadle Park project is still in preliminary phases and has not yet been submitted for official construction permits, according to city records.

According to Jason Green, senior project manager for Langan Engineering, a firm based in Parsippany, NJ, the project is still too early in design phases to be discussed.

“We are simply going through a pre-application meeting with the city to determine what can be done with the site that meets or exceeds current zoning/development codes,” Green said in an email. “It may or may not turn into a real project.”

The estimated cost of construction is $4.2 million, plans show.