‘Blockhouse’ residential development planned in South Perry district

A 14-unit “blockhouse” development on a half-acre of land behind South Perry Pizza and Perry Street Brewing in the East Central neighborhood has been issued permits to begin construction.

The $1.2 million project would build eight residential buildings, the tallest at two stories and 25 feet in height. A mix of townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes would be spread across 5,600 square feet of space, according to permits issued by the city.

When complete, the housing project would fill two lots that have been vacant since 2016, when a father-son development team – Cody and Dave Coombs – envisioned a parking lot stretching between 10th and 11th avenues behind the popular pizza and brewery restaurants. After pushback from neighbors, they proposed the housing development.

The Coombs teamed up with a group of architects, engineers and builders to build a model for sustainable development using a wood product as strong as stone called cross-laminated timber.

The project is being led by Shy Guy LLC, which is owned by Cody Coombs and Andy Barrett.

The project’s contracter is Baker Construction, of Spokane. Uptic Studios, also of Spokane, designed it.