The Dirt: Apartment complex proposed along Doomsday Hill

A 16-unit apartment complex may be built in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood at the top of Doomsday Hill, according to documents filed with the city.

The “blockhouse” development, 1757 N. West Point Road, will build 10 cottages with 16 units. Six will be 240-square-foot studios, five will be 480-square-foot one bedrooms, and five will be 960-square-foot two bedrooms.

Blockhouse|Life at Doomsday Hill, as it’s called, sits northwest of the intersection of Pettet Drive and West Point Road, the top of what’s informally called Doomsday Hill and is part of the annual Bloomsday race route.

The project, which is in predevelopment phase, still needs approval from the city before it can be issued permits. Plans filed with the city estimate a construction start date of summer 2020.

It is the second such development by a group of architects, engineers and builders organized by local developer Cody Coombs. The group is behind a $1.2 million project with eight residential buildings in the South Perry District of the East Central neighborhood. Both projects aim to be a model for sustainable development using a wood product as strong as stone called cross-laminated timber. – N.D.

Plans progress for senior-living facility in north Spokane

Plans are progressing for the Rockwood at Whitworth senior-living facility in north Spokane.

The $69 million project, northeast of U.S. Highway 395 and Hawthorne Road, will be built in two phases that include assisted-living, memory care and independent-living facilities, according to an environmental review filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology.

The new campus reconfiguration includes a 65,000-square-foot, three-story addition at 10331 N. Mayberry Drive with 72 units, a kitchen, courtyard and parking and staff areas. Construction on the addition is expected to be underway by November, with completion slated for October 2020, according to the environmental review.

Phase two of the development calls for a separate, 237,000-square-foot, four-story building at 10332 N. Middleton Drive with 120 independent-living units, a central dining area, chapel/multipurpose room, pool, business center, theater and salon.

Construction on phase two is anticipated to begin in December 2020, with completion slated for January 2022.

Michael O’Malley of Spokane-based NAC Architecture is designing the project.

Rockwood at Whitworth is partnering with Whitworth University to allow senior residents discounted courses, intergenerational learning opportunities and preferred access to athletic and performing arts events.

Whitworth University also indicated plans to connect students with career opportunities at the senior-living facility. – A.E.

Riverview Retirement to add duplex at Upriver Drive campus

Riverview Retirement Community is adding a 10-bedroom duplex to its campus on Upriver Drive in Spokane, according to permits issued by the city.

The 4,118-square-foot complex adds to one of Spokane’s largest retirement communities, which has seen substantial growth. According to the city’s records, a building was demolished earlier this year at 2360 N. Stone St. to make way for the new structure.

In February, work began on three one-story duplexes, each more than 3,700 square feet in size. The duplexes house up to 36 memory-care residents in 18 double-occupancy rooms.

In 2017, the community built a $5.5 million memory-care facility, a 20,000-square-foot, one-story facility that serves about 20 people with memory-care needs such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Each occupant has their own room, and additional rooms will be available for spouses and partners, according to a predevelopment application filed with the city.

According to its website, Riverview Retirement Community was founded in 1959 by Lutheran congregations. It continues to be affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, though the retirement facility serves residents of all faiths.

It provides health care, memory care and independent- and assisted-living services on its 32-acre campus.

The project’s contractor is Simplicity Homes LLC, out of Oregon. – N.D.