Work begins on Kendall Yards housing

With the planting of a tree, developer Jim Frank today revived the Kendall Yards development on the north bank of the Spokane River. The first 18 units of the $25 million residential and commercial project, stalled by the financial problems of the previous developer, should be ready by the end of summer, Frank told a crowd of more than 100 gathered on the site between Bridge and Ohio avenues. He said more Phase 1 units would also be under way, but street access is not yet available. Four of the units have been pre-sold, and the buyers were enthusiastic about their future homes and the proximity to downtown. “The developers have really done their homework,” said Gene Decheff, who with wife Cheryl will move into a two-bedroom townhouse, a radical down-sizing from their 10 acres on the West Plains. Neighbors said they are looking forward to the project, the successor to a railroad yard demolished in the 1970s. “We’re glad somebody is finally going to get the project off the ground,” said Micele Malone, who lives nearby. Phase 1 will include a 40- unit multifamily housing structure, 68 townhouses and single-family homes, and 20,000 square feet of commercial space.