‘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. – N.D.

$5.8 million ministorage development planned for West Plains

A new ministorage complex will be built on the West Plains by a local storage magnate, according to city permit data.

Self Storage of Spokane in Airway Heights will have 14 pre-engineered metal storage facilities, a two-story office and a 32,000-square-foot RV canopy for storage of the vehicles. The project is valued at $5.8 million.

Though the 7-acre project sits on U.S. Highway 2 just east of its intersection with Flint Road, its address is 1346 S. Campus Road.

The project is led and owned by Harlan Douglass, who has built numerous storage units in the Spokane area.

Most recently, his company Douglass Properties, erected a storage facility at the former Joe E. Mann Center, 4415 N. Market St., in Hillyard. That complex has 12 one-story buildings, 88,000 square feet and is estimated to be worth $4 million.

As owner of Self Storage of Spokane, Douglass has a large complex of storage units on North Foothills Drive east of Division Street in Spokane, and another at Fourth Avenue and Eastern Road in Spokane Valley. The Valley location is the former site of the East Sprague Drive-In Theater, which Douglass bought in 2008 for $1.5 million after the theater had been closed for more than a decade.

Lancze Douglass, Harlan’s son, owns at least seven Secure-It Self Storage facilities in the region, according to the state’s corporation division. – N.D.

Bella Tess, Spokane Valley, construction, development, business

Construction is underway on the third phase of Bella Tess Apartments in Spokane Valley.

Spokane Valley-based Diamond Rock Construction is building an addition of five, three-story structures with 156 apartments between Mission and Indiana parkways, according to building permits filed with the city.

The project valuation is more than $19 million, according to permits.

Bella Tess, a luxury apartment community managed by Greystar, was built in 2016 at 17016 E. Indiana Parkway. Diamond Rock Construction filed permits to build a second phase of more than 190 apartments in 2017.

Once construction is complete on the third phase of Bella Tess, it will have more than 550 apartments.

Todd Whipple of Spokane Valley-based Whipple Consulting Engineers is the project engineer.

Spokane-based Bernardo|Willis Architects is the project architect.

Editor’s note: This story was changed on Sept. 18, 2019 to correct the name of Self Storage of Spokane in Airway Heights.