The Dirt: Greenstone eyeing plans for Kendall Yards’ undeveloped west end

The Kendall Yards mixed-use development is a project that turned a contaminated old rail yard into a vibrant neighborhood with high walkability and diverse home types. But the development, which sits just northwest across the Spokane River from downtown, has slowed in the past few years.

Except for the roughly 5.5-acre notable vacant lot southwest of the intersection of Monroe Street and Summit Parkway, most of the undeveloped portions of Kendall Yards lie on its western portion, near the confluence of the Spokane River and Latah Creek.

The company behind the landmark development, Liberty Lake-based Greenstone Corporation, has been busy with other substantial developments around the Inland Northwest.

River District West, a 900-acre mixed-use development just saw its 1,000th residential unit constructed in October. And construction has begun at Mead Works, an estimated $1 billion development in north Spokane that will include 1,400 residential units and roughly 1 million square feet of commercial space, according previous reporting in The Spokesman-Review.

But as for their hallmark development, the firm recently submitted plans to the city of Spokane for a new Kendall Yards project, an eight-unit condominium, dubbed the Hamblen.

At 2345 W. Centennial Place, the estimated $1.4 million condominium is planned for a property located immediately west of the Ruins Restaurant.

Plans for the project were submitted as part of the predevelopment process. According to Joe Frank, vice president of Greenstone, the project is exploring the feasibility of implementing more condominiums for undeveloped lots at Kendall Yards.

“We are working hard to get condo laws changed because it’s difficult to build condos in Washington,” he said. “We’ve had some small changes to allow more simple construction so this is an attempt to use those new laws.”

Financing challenges due to higher rates, stricter underwriting and increased legal liability are leading to fewer being built. This has resulted in demand for condo units far outstripping supply across the state, according to a report from the Seattle Times.

“Our market townhomes have been successful but some people would like more single floor living that condos offer,” Frank said. “Units at the Hamblen will be kind of a large one-bedroom -with -a -den and two-bedroom units.”

The Hamblen is planned to include two three-story buildings, each with about 20,000 square feet. The first floor will consist of parking and the upper floors will be residences, plans show.

Immediately west of the site, Greenstone has already developed about 30 buildable lots of similar size.

According to Frank, the future of these prospective construction sites depend on how progress goes for the Hamblen.

“If it’s successful, we’ll obviously look to do more of it but we really just wanted to get an understanding of how that law will work and go from there,” he said. “Nothing specific is planned for those lots.”

As for the future of the rest of Kendall Yards, which spans roughly 20 acres of flattened earth overlooking the Spokane River, Frank is unsure.

“We paused things a bit but we want to get as much value as possible out of that land and not just repeat the same thing,” he said. “From Monroe all the way down to those lots, we have a lot of ideas and we want to make the right decision. That land is very valuable and very important to the city of Spokane so we’re trying to be responsible and take things slow to make sure we do the right things with it.”

Spokane Church planning expansion

Mountain View Assembly of God church is planning a $6.5 million project on its grounds located about half of a mile east of the “Y” where Division Street splits into U.S. Highways 395 and 2.

The 4.5-acre lot located at 633 E. Magnesium Road and adjacent to the Spokane International Academy, is mostly undeveloped, except for a 9,000-square-foot church building and a parking lot.

According to plans submitted to the city of Spokane, the church will quadruple in size. Either being completely rebuilt or expanded upon, plans call for adding a new gymnasium, classrooms, administrative offices, lobby, commercial kitchen, lockers and an early learning center.

The project includes three leasable spaces as part of a business incubator. Those typically provide early stage companies with resources to help them develop a solid foundation and increase their chances of long-term success, often in exchange for a small equity stake.

Plans also include space for 16 single-family homes surrounding a centrally located green space.

The church is operated by Harvey and Kimberlie Cole, according to its website.

Plans were submitted by Lupe Barajas, of Spokane-based NAC Architecture.

Barajas said he could not discuss the project without the approval from the owners.

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