14 townhouses planned for Perry District vacant lot

A $2.3 million, 14-unit townhouse development near Spokane’s South Perry District was issued construction permits by the city earlier this week.

Plans show two three-story buildings on the northwest corner of Garfield Street and Hartson Avenue on what is currently a vacant lot. Seven of the units will face Garfield, and seven will face Hartson. Each unit will have a street-level garage on the lowest floor and two stories of residential space above.

At nearly three-quarters of an acre, the lot is more than four times the size of a typical city lot. A basalt outcropping on the lot’s interior will be preserved, and plans show a gravel trail being built around the rock.

The project is yet another example of vacant lots being developed in the South Perry District, which is seeing numerous construction projects on lots that were recently vacant. New city rules aim to lower barriers to such “infill” development.

The development, called both Garfield Street Apartments and Hartson-Garfield Townhouses in city documents, is being built by Bob Cooke and David Shriver. Cooke is the president of R.H. Cooke & Associates, a Spokane real estate and property management company.

The project’s architect is Oscar Torres, with Design Services Northwest, of Spokane.

Gonzaga humanities building to undergo $2.5M renovation

Gonzaga University’s humanities building will undergo a $2.5 million renovation, according to permits issued by the city.

The work at 1106 N. Astor St. will include partial renovation, repair and upgrades to the 40,000-square-foot, three-story structure.

The work comes amid a building boom on campus. This week, the Jesuit university received city approval to build a $48 million science and engineering building near the campus’ Arthur Lake. The university recently built the $24 million Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement and the $13 million Della Strada Jesuit Community residential building. Work on the $30 million, 57,000-square-foot Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center is anticipated to be completed next year.

Walker Construction is the humanities building project’s general contractor. Design work was done by Integrus Architecture.

Kootenai Health to begin final phase of hospital expansion

Kootenai Health is adding a third floor to the hospital’s east expansion, adding an additional inpatient unit and embarking on the third and final phase of the Coeur d’Alene hospital’s master plan begun in 2012.

The $12 million project will add 30,000 square feet and 32 private rooms. The new section will be used for patients with general illnesses or concerns and oncology patients. It will also provide space for future programs focused on neurology, epilepsy and stroke.

Construction of the new section will be funded through the hospital’s capital budget and by donations to the Kootenai Health Foundation. Though largely complete, when the expansion is done, the hospital will have 331 patient beds and have added more than 150,000 square feet.

The first two phases cost $102 million and created the East Wing, a new emergency department and operating room expansions.

The third-floor project is expected to begin Thursday and end in early 2019.