The Dirt: Fabrication facility planned near Spokane International Airport

Plans have been submitted by a Seattle-based fabrication company to build an Airway Heights facility next to their existing one at 9470 W. 21st Ave.

The firm, Mckinstry, specializes in prefabrication or offsite manufacturing, which means it constructs sections of buildings in its warehouse before shipping them to the construction site instead of a typical project where all parts of a building are assembled on site.

According to the firm’s website, the method is more energy efficient, decreases work for contractors and accelerates the time needed to design, build and commission projects. The company particularly fabricates materials for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and energy retrofits for clients.

McKinstry completed its first Spokane fabrication facility in November 2023. The 67,500-square-foot facility cost about $5.1 million to construct, according to permit applications.

Gabe Boeckman, a Mckinstry spokesperson, said the building houses fabrication services along with manufacturing for Overcast Innovations, a McKinstry-owned subsidiary.

To meet growing demand, the firm is planning a second, larger facility next door at 9610 W. 21st Ave. The site is approximately one mile northwest of Spokane International Airport.

According to plans submitted to the city, the building will be 95,000 square feet. An estimated cost of construction was not provided.

“The goal is to build a second fabrication facility to meet growing fabrication and manufacturing demand for our Spokane, Inland Northwest and national clients,” Boeckman said. “This effort represents the latest in our continued investment in Spokane, which serves as an innovation hub and secondary headquarters for McKinstry on a national scale.”

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

Because of this, Boeckman said it is too early to discuss specific details regarding the project.

“Planning for our Spokane fabrication shop expansion is still early. This permit application serves to start the process,” he said. “But our plan is to start preconstruction and design in 2026 with an anticipated completion sometime in 2027.”

Spokane-based PRESS Architecture is designing the project.

New townhomes near Esmeralda

Plans have been submitted to the city of Spokane to build 12 townhomes.

Located at 3819 and 3827 E. Rich Ave., the site is adjacent to the northern edge of the Esmeralda Golf Course in northeast Spokane.

Two buildings totaling four units will face Rich Avenue and the golf course. Two buildings, each with four units, will be accessible by the alley to the north.

Parking will be provided for each unit in addition to a garage, plans show.

Buildings will stand three stories tall and consist of either two or three bedrooms. The smaller homes, which are the four facing Rich Avenue, will span roughly 4,200 square feet. Buildings in the rear will be about 8,600 square feet, plans show.

The project, dubbed the Buth Townhomes, is named after one of its owners, Ryan Buth, who is a Spokane-based Realtor.

The site is also owned by Steve Howard. The two purchased the two adjacent lots that make up the site separately in December 2024 and in June of last year for a total of $297,500, according to Spokane County property records.

Plans were submitted as part of the predevelopment process by Russell Page, president of Russell Page Architects, a Spokane-based firm.

Page could not be reached last week for comment.

Sunflower Bank opens in downtown Spokane

After a $349,000 remodel, Sunflower Bank announced in a news release that it has opened a Spokane branch in downtown Spokane.

The location consolidated two existing Spokane offices at 239 W. Main Ave. and 835 N. Post St. The downtown office will serve as a regional hub for Sunflower Bank’s mortgage operations.

According to a remodel permit application submitted to the city of Spokane in August, the Dallas-based bank renovated the entirety of the interior of the building.

Work spanned the street level and upper floor. The basement, which consists of storage, a mechanical room, a fitness space, locker room and small kitchen, remains unchanged.

The street level floor features a reception and lobby along with a conference room, a break room, restrooms and 10 small offices.

The upper mezzanine-style floor will consist of an open floor plan along with eight small offices and two executive offices with one featuring an outdoor patio.

The bank has invested in the Inland Northwest as mortgage production continues to grow, according to Jeanne Lipson, marketing director for the bank.

“The newly renovated 244 West Main Ave. location represents the next phase of that investment, providing a modern, collaborative environment designed to support clients and teams across Washington and Idaho,” Lipson said in the news release.

As for the exterior, the “Black Lives Matter” mural along the eastern wall will remain.

Finished in July 2020, two months after the murder of George Floyd and during the global protest that followed, the mural features 16 art pieces within each letter of the mantra.

The effort was made possible by the building’s owners who offered the wall as a canvas. Thomas Murto and Tyler Lafferty also own Spokane-based advertising agencies 14Four and Seven2, which are both located at the building, according to their websites.

Sunflower Bank first established a presence in Spokane in 2019 through its Guardian Mortgage home loan division, which rebranded under the Sunflower Bank name in 2025.

With $8.5 billion in assets, Sunflower Bank has 71 branches, according to the news release.