The Dirt: Permits issued for crisis nursery’s new building on Sprague

Permits for $8 million in construction for the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery on East Sprague Avenue have been issued by the city.

The permits encompass most work for the construction of the 32,000-square-foot, 40-foot-tall building at 2230 E. Sprague Ave. The structure’s foundation was laid this fall.

When complete, the building will house the crisis nursery, which provides 24-hour emergency care for children up to 6 years old and is a safe shelter for kids who are in crisis situations stemming from families dealing with substance abuse, domestic violence or homelessness.

The new location will help the nonprofit increase its services to those children.

The property is on the eastern edge of the Sprague revitalization project, which has seen continued private investment since the city started targeting public dollars there. The lot was the site of a Safeway built in 1966. The Safeway was designed by architect Kenneth Storment, who also designed the Bon Marche building in downtown Spokane, now called The M, as well as a number of other Safeway stores in the region.

After the grocery store closed, the building was used as a Spokane Youth Sports Association bingo hall for more than 25 years. SYSA Bingo moved out in February 2016. The building sat empty until its demolition earlier in 2018.

Vanessa Behan bought the building in October 2017 for $1.3 million.

The project’s general contractor is Bouten Construction, of Spokane. It was designed by NAC Architecture. – N.D.

Airway Heights development to include 72 townhomes

Idaho-based developer Whitewater Creek Inc. is building 72 townhomes in Airway Heights near Ketchum Drive and Whitetip Avenue.

The Arrowleaf Townhomes project calls for 20 duplex lots and 32 single-family lots on more than 12 acres. Site plans indicate townhomes will range from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet.

A 3,240-square-foot community building will provide meeting space and laundry facilities, according to plans filed with the city of Airway Heights.

Whitewater Creek, on behalf of landowner Landreth Family Investments, filed project plans with the city.

Landreth Family Investments also donated land to the city of Airway Heights in 2007 for 8-acre Landreth Park.

The project engineer is Spokane-based AHBL Inc. The building contractor is Silver Springs Construction Inc., of Hayden.

Construction is slated for completion in 2020. – A.E.

ESD 101 conference center expansion finished

An expanded conference center for Educational Service District 101, one of nine such districts statewide, is complete on Spokane’s South Hill.

The 7,900-square-foot addition to an existing building includes three conference rooms and is valued at $2.3 million, according to permits issued by the city of Spokane. The center is now nearly 14,000 square feet in size.

The new center, at 4202 S. Regal St., is called the Talbott Event Center, has one large conference room with a capacity of nearly 300 people, but has modular walls allowing the space to be made into four smaller rooms.

ESD 101 serves 59 public school districts and 45 state-approved private school districts in seven counties, allowing them to collectively plan and buy equipment. It also acts as an intermediary between the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the school districts. Other ESDs overseeing the state’s 295 school districts are in Yakima, Vancouver, Tumwater, Bremerton, Renton, Pasco, Wenatchee and Anacortes.

ESD 101 oversees districts with nearly 100,000 students.

The project’s architect was Design West, which has offices in Spokane, Pullman and Kennewick. The company also designed the Moscow Intermodal Transit Center, Boise State University Student Recreation Center and Village Center Cinemas in Wandermere. Recently, it’s done work on Washington State University’s Museum of Art and Public Safety Building.

Meridian Construction, of Spokane Valley, was the project’s general contractor. – N.D.

Fourplex planned in East Central neighborhood

A four-unit apartment building is coming to the East Central neighborhood, a block off the section of East Sprague Avenue that saw a major renovation last year.

The two-story building at 2418 E. First Ave. is being built on a vacant lot that had acted as a side yard to an adjacent home.

The $477,000 housing project will be accompanied by a $24,000 detached garage for the new fourplex, according to permits issued by the city.

The lot is owned by Basalt Rock LLC, which is owned by Konstantin and Tatyana Vasilenko and Marina and Dmytro Sirenkyi.

Though county property records show the lot last sold for $75,000 in 2010, it has changed hands many times since.

In 2010, the city of Spokane acquired the lot from John Tormino, longtime proprietor of East Central’s Tormino Sash and Glass who died in 2017.

In 2016, the city gave the land to the East Central Community Organization, which was operating the East Central Community Center at the time. A year later, the community organization transferred the property back to the city’s Community, Housing and Human Services Department.

In March, Basalt Rock acquired the lot from the city, though the Vasilenkos had filed predevelopment documents with the city in January.

Basalt Rock will act as the project’s general contractor. The architect is Russell Page, of Spokane. – N.D.

Reporter Nicholas Deshais may be reached at (509) 459-5440 or nickd@spokesman.com.

Contact reporter Amy Edelen at (509) 459-5581 or amye@spokesman.com.