The Dirt: U-Haul planning new building downtown Spokane

According to preliminary plans submitted to the city of Spokane, developers are looking to construct a five-story, self-storage facility at a parking lot once used by customers of the iconic restaurant, Dick’s Hamburgers.

Plans call for a $12.7 million project. U-Haul currently owns and operates a rental truck and small self-storage facility adjacent to the proposed site.

According to county property records, the target property is located at 3 W. Third Ave. and is still owned by Dick’s Hamburgers.

If U-Haul officials purchase the property, they will own much of the block except for the German American Society’s Deutsches Haus and an Enterprise Rent-a-Car location.

The U-Haul project is in early stages of planning and documents have not yet been submitted to building officials, according to city records. But preliminary plans show a building with a footprint of about 23,000 square feet. The sum of the building’s five stories totals about 116,000 square feet.

Phoenix-based Amerco Real Estate Company, submitted the development application.

STA adds Division route

The Spokane Transit Authority submitted a handful of building permits on Monday for a new bus route connecting downtown Spokane to Mead.

Dubbed the “Division Street Bus Rapid Transit,” the new route is planned to include 45 bus stops and is referred to as “rapid transit” because stops will have enhanced amenities like prepaying capabilities, real-time bus tracking technology, raised platforms and more frequent bus arrivals so riders can go to stops without needing to check arrival times.

On Monday, eight permits were submitted to the city of Spokane as part of the project though construction is still far off, according to Carly Cortright, Transit Authority spokesperson.

Cortright said the project’s design is about 30% complete.

“Over the next few months, we’ll be filing more permits for additional stations for the length of the project,” she said. “No construction is planned until 2027.”

Permits were submitted to garner feedback from city building officials, Cortright said.

“We learned from our first bus-rapid-transit project, city line, (that) plan review earlier in the project is beneficial,” she said, “So that’s why the permits were filed at this time.”

Completion of the route is tentatively planned for 2030 in conjunction with the North Spokane Corridor, she said.

New Davenport Hotel lobby to be unveiled

Earlier this year, officials at Davenport Hotels, the company which owns the Davenport Tower, the Centennial Hotel and the Davenport Grand, submitted plans to renovate the hotel lobby of another one of its properties, Historic Davenport, earlier this year.

Next month, it will be open.

On Sept. 20, the public will get its first look at the space that will include a revamped lobby, a bar capable of seating 50 people, and a retail and café operation named the Emporium, a news release said.

“These immersive gathering spaces are designed for our guests and locals to come together,” Melissa Green, managing director for the Davenport Hotels, said in a statement. “The new Lobby Bar and Emporium will elevate the guest experience, while continuing to preserve the heart of our historic hotel.”

According to Danielle Beaudine, spokesperson for Davenport Hotels, the grand opening event will also feature a ceremonial rebranding of the hotel to its original name, the Davenport Hotel.

The renovation project is the largest investment in the 1914 property, Beaudine said, since the $40 million renovation of the hotel was completed in 2002.

The company will undergo another renovation project to the Davenport Lusso, later this year, she said.