The Dirt: Townhomes planned for Audubon neighborhood

Developers are planning to build 17 townhomes adjacent to Drumheller Springs Historical Park in northwest Spokane.

Named after Dan Drumheller, who used the springs as a clean source of water for his slaughterhouse, the park has historic significance due to its use by Spokane Indians, according to Spokane Historical.

Most notably, local historical icon, Chief Spokane Garry, built numerous schools and long houses on what is now the park.

Today, the roughly 15-acre park is owned by the city and remains undeveloped, according to county records.

But another 1.5 acres of vacant land adjacent to the park are privately owned. That is the proposed site of the townhome project.

Southwest of the intersection of Ash Place and Liberty Avenue, the project would share a property line with the city park, which is further southwest.

All 17 buildings will be three stories tall and each total about 1,900 square feet. The project would include the construction of roadways. According to plans, developers want to extend Oak Street southward about 350 feet.

The extended Oak Street would then curve eastward to connect to Ash Place.

The roadway would be immediately adjacent to the park. Because of its proximity, the project will require extra inspection by city building officials to ensure development does not harm the park’s springs and wetlands.

The project is still in early planning phases and city officials have not yet analyzed the proposal, according to city records.

The project is estimated to cost about $3 million according to submitted document.

SCC fire training facility

On their campus at 1810 N. Greene St., Spokane Community College officials are planning to erect a fire training building for its Fire Sciences Program.

The structure will be three stories tall and total 1,200 square feet, according to a construction permit application submitted to the city of Spokane.

The site is at the intersection of Ermina Avenue and Rebecca Street, on the northeastern corner of the college campus. Due to its proximity to the Spokane River, the project requires a shoreline conditional use permit to ensure construction would not harm the waterway.

The shoreline permit was granted by city officials on July 9 with conditions that the shoreline is not changed and native plant species are not permanently removed, according to city records.

The training facility is also required to remain “dry,” meaning the use of fire and water is unpermitted, according to city records.

The building and improvements to the site are expected to cost about $600,000, according to plans.

Spokane’s Burton Construction is the contractor for the project and Spokane-based Integrus Architecture designed it, plans show.

Tri-Cities Intermodal

Due to a lack of container availability, Tri-Cities Intermodal will utilize both trains and trucks to transport Washington goods like wine, potatoes, onions, apples and pears, according to a news release.

The private company launched the operation earlier this year with an aim to lessen truck traffic on arterials and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from them, the release said.

The company has a long-term contract with Union Pacific Railroad, which covers 23 states in the Unites States, according to the release.

Theodore Prince, CEO and founder, said in a new release that the company’s partnerships with Port of Walla Walla and Columbia Rail may grow the company’s headquarters in Burbank to, “one of the largest rail intermodal facilities in the North America.”