The Dirt: Whitworth gets go-head for science building

Permits have been issued to developers by Spokane County building officials for a new engineering and physics building on the Whitworth University campus at 300 W. Hawthorne Road.

The structure will be named the PACCAR Engineering Building after the Washington truck manufacturing firm that funded a portion of the estimated $20 million of construction costs, according to a news release.

According to a permit application, the building will be two stories tall and total over 20,000 square feet.

The structure will have space for two research and design laboratories, a computer lab, classrooms and modern equipment like 3D printers and laser cutting machines, according to a news release.

Kamesh Sankaran, Whitworth’s engineering and physics department chair, praised the design of the building in a statement.

“This facility will allow our students to work collaboratively with peers and faculty mentors to expand the boundaries of our knowledge and create engineering solutions to real-life problems,” Sankaran said. “We are excited to fulfill the mission of Whitworth in this new sector in a new era of the university’s history.”

Spokane’s Bouten Construction is the contractor and Spokane-based Integrus Architecture is the designer of the project. Construction is estimated to last 18 months, according to a news release.

Hillyard residential project

Developers are planning to add three structures to a small residential lot in the Hillyard Neighborhood.

Owners of the property at 3018 E. Sanson Ave. first submitted development plans in June that outlined a different project. The application for building permits was withdrawn, according to city records.

The initial plans showed developers anticipated demolishing the single-family home on the property to make way for a three-story building with 10 units. The project, which was planned to include a 10-stall underground parking garage, was estimated to cost $2.5 million, according to city records.

But the newest set of plans, submitted Tuesday, show a different project that is estimated to cost $1 million. Instead of flattening it, the 720-square-foot home on the property will remain. A 320-square-foot addition will be connected to the house to make a, “master suite,” according to plans.

Another three buildings will be built on the 0.15-acre property. Each new building will be two-stories-tall and total 1,200 square feet. Structures will leave little empty space on site.

No off-street parking will be provided, plans show.

The project will likely be made possible by the passage of the new unit-lot subdivision ordinance.

The property was purchased by Guillermo Garcia Alvarez and Zoraida Lizeht Barajas in July of last year, according to county records. Neither owners could be immediately reached Wednesday morning.

West Spokane gas station planned

At the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Government Way, developers are planning to build a gas station and convenience store, according to city records.

The project is planned for a roughly one-acre vacant property at 2918 W. Eighth Ave. According to plans submitted to the city, the site will host ten fueling pumps that will be covered by a canopy.

The convenience store will be two stories tall and total 10,000 square feet.

The estimated cost of construction is $1.5 million, according to city records.

The property is owned by Donald (Gib) Brumback, founder of Brumback Inc., a Spokane property management, real estate development and construction firm.