The Dirt: Four-story apartments planned near Liberty Park

Developers submitted plans to build 47 units of housing along the Ben Burr Trail near the Liberty Park Aquatic Center, according to permit applications submitted to the city of Spokane.

The project, dubbed the Threshold, will stand four stories tall and have a total square footage of 40,500 square feet.

Located at 1727 E. Hartson Ave., the site spans 1.24 acres of currently vacant land adjacent to a paved winding footpath that begins at Hartson, crosses the trail and connects to Pittsburgh Street at Liberty pool. The plot is owned by Josh Cochran, a local dentist and real estate investor, and wife Amy Cochran, according to Spokane County property records.

The couple purchased the property in 2022 for $450,000. The estimated cost of construction of the apartment building is $3.5 million, according to application documents.

Spokane-based PRESS Architecture designed the project, and Spokane-based CM Construction and Development will build it. CM Construction is a general contractor co-owned by Cochran.

Cochran could not immediately be reached for comment last week.

Airway Heights manufacturing shop planned

A Seattle-based fabrication company has submitted a building permit request to build a new Airway Heights facility that would be placed next to an existing one, located at 9470 W. 21st Ave.

The firm, McKinstry, specializes in prefabrication, which is also known as off-site manufacturing. The firm constructs sections of buildings in its warehouse before shipping them to the construction site rather than the typical method of assembling the structure in place.

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 specializes in fabricating 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 manufacturing facility cost about $5.1 million to construct, according to permit applications.

Gabe Boeckman, a McKinstry spokesperson, said in February when the project was in preliminary phases, that the current 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 located just west of Flint Road and northwest of Spokane International Airport.

According to plans submitted to the city, the building will be 95,000 square feet. The building will cost roughly $7.2 million.

“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 in February. “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.”

Boeckman said then that it was too early to discuss specific details regarding the project.

Last week, he said the plans haven’t substantially advanced. “We don’t have a ton of more information,” he said.

Boechman anticipated that construction will be completed in 2027.

Spokane-based PRESS Architecture is designing the project. Spokane Valley-based Lydig Construction will build it.

Townhomes planned near Esmeralda Golf Course

A construction permit application has been submitted to the city of Spokane for four residential buildings.

Located at 3819 and 3827 E. Rich Ave., the plan is to construct 10 units of housing.

The site is adjacent to the northern edge of the Esmeralda Golf Course in northeastern Spokane.

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

Buildings will be accessible by Rich Avenue to the south and an alley to the north.

The structures will stand either two- or three-stories tall and consist of either two or three units of housing. The smaller homes will span roughly 2,600 square feet. The largest building will contain about 7,200 square feet, plans show.

The total estimated cost of construction of all buildings is $1.3 million, according to application documents.

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

The site is also owned by Steve Howard. The two developers purchased the adjacent lots that make up the site in 2024 and another in June. The total cost of the purchases was $297,500, according to Spokane County 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 immediately be reached last week for comment.