(1) Have gripes about pedestrian issues in your area of Spokane? Take an online survey to tell the city about them, and officials might incorporate the ideas into the new Spokane Regional Pedestrian Plan.

(2) Longstanding boards on the 809 W. Main building (the former J.C. Penney structure) at Lincoln and Main downtown have come down, revealing large windows into a retail space. The building is owned by CPC Development, a subsidiary of the Cowles Co. (which owns The Spokesman-Review). Owners do not have a tenant lined up for the roughly 10,000-square-foot space, located adjacent to men's clothing retailer JoS A. Bank, said Bob Smith, of Centennial Properties, another company owned by Cowles.

“We had so much going on building up condominiums, the residential, that we didn’t get a chance to finish up with the few show windows down on that end,” he said.

(3) Readers have pointed out for-lease signs on the Music City, CenterStage, New Madison and former Otis Hotel buildings on First Avenue. Kiemle & Hagood Co. has the contract to lease out ground floor spaces for retail, said Chad Carper, sales associate. It is unclear what will happen with some of the buildings following a dispute between the owner and a local contractor.

With urban dwellings becoming an increasingly popular option in the United States, could suburban homes – long the paradigm of American living –become the next slums? That’s the striking thesis noted author and planner Christopher Leinberger presented in a recent The Atlantic article, as well as at a speech in Spokane earlier this week. Are his ideas relevant to Spokane? First, let’s look at his argument.

In essence, Leinberger suggests people are becoming more enamored with some of the benefits in living in denser urban areas, such as their walkabilty, increased availability of public transportation and easier access to cultural events and businesses. He posits that will lead to more infill, renovation of homes and condos. He cites examples of a simultaneous decay of some subdivisions in places such as North Carolina and Southern California that have been hit hard by the subprime mortgage meltdown. Leinberger states:

"For 60 years, Americans have pushed steadily into the suburbs, transforming the landscape and (until recently) leaving cities behind. But today the pendulum is swinging back toward urban living, and there are many reasons to believe this swing will continue. As it does, many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and ’70s—slums characterized by poverty, crime, and decay."

So is there evidence of this in the Spokane metro area? Creation and sales of pricey downtown condos boomed for a couple years earlier this decade. With the current real estate slump, however, developers are having a harder time moving those units, although plans continue for some projects, such as at least one 14-story condo tower overlooking the Spokane River.

The view of the former Rookery and Mohawk buildings, from now-defunct Ankeny's bar and restaurant atop the Ridpath Hotel tower.

515 Washvada Investments LLC has sold the top two floors of the Ridpath Hotel tower - including the space that housed Ankeny's bar and grill.

Spokane-based Poacher's Rock LLC purchased the floors, which total about 15,000 square feet and comprise 13 commercial condominiums, according to a news release from commercial real estate firm NAI Black. Spokane County property records show that company's address is the same as G.J.’s General Contractors Inc., a business owned by Greg Jeffreys. He was a partner in buying the Executive Court portion of the Ridpath across First Avenue a couple years ago; plans to turn that into 56 condos fell through.

A group of local investors had considered buying the top floors, but that deal fell through earlier this year. The Ridpath unexpectedly shut down in August. Douglas Da Silva, a managing member for Washvada Investments, said at the time it could reopen early next year.

Jeffreys could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, so it's unclear what the space will house.

A 100-acre mixed-use development underway in Liberty Lake is slated to incorporate environmentally friendly elements as the first regional development to shoot for certification through Inland Northwest Built Green.

Developer Whitewater Creek Inc., of Hayden, Idaho, boasts its master-planned Hawkstone project will follow the standards, which are being developed by the Spokane Home Builders Association. The development, located south of Interstate 90, is approved for more than 800 residences, several acres of parks and a commercial hub.

The development standards address issues such as retention and treatment of stormwater and using fast-growing native vegetation for site heating and cooling, said Paul Warfield, the association’s community affairs director. The program also requires each building within the development to meet Built Green standards, he said. The final program is not expected until early next year.

“Hawkstone was fortunate to get funding before the economic turmoil hit,” Warfield said. “There’s just not a lot of master-planned communities that are moving forward.”

Whitewater this spring began building the 75-unit First Liberty Apartments. The firm also plans 60 units of affordable senior housing in the first phase.

The Porch, a spin-off of Garland Avenue Alliance Church, purchased the building at 1804 W. Broadway Ave. It is just blocks away from the proposed Kendall Yards mixed-use development, in a neighborhood where church leaders see a need for economic redevelopment.

“We really do want to use this space well for this community,” said Dave Wilkinson, pastor. “We love West Central; it’s a pretty cool place. There’s lots of potential.”

The church already has put a modern façade on the roughly 7,000-square-foot building.

Rendering of a Best Western slated to replace a church at Third and Division in Spokane.

For those interested in what this structure could look like, check out the rendering at right.

The red and white carnival tents are part of a set built by Spokane-based North by Northwest Productions for the film “Give ‘em Hell Malone,” starring Ving Rhames (of “Pulp Fiction”) and others.

“Rather than go somewhere else, we sort of did our own carnival thing,” said Rich Cowan, company president.

The company’s art department contracted with actual carnies, and setup is still underway ahead of shooting in coming weeks. The scene is a nighttime action sequence, he said.

A little food for thought this Tuesday comes from a column in Seattle's Crosscut. Knute Berger compares Spokane to Seattle in the 1970s, touting our affordability and "progressive, urban, close to nature" feel.

Driving in on Interstate 90, the city that emerged from the pine forests was modest, not megapolitan. The high rises weren't too high, and the skyline was marked with old church towers and well-preserved or restored 19th-century brick buildings. The streets were broad and easy to navigate, and through the city spilled the lovely namesake river — the best central fountain a city ever had, with its park and pathways; a civic center that is walkable and where nature is alive, flowing and making music.

I was struck by the familiarity of the city's scale. Spokane reminds me of the 1950s-'70s Seattle where I grew up: a gorgeous natural setting, an urban zone that didn't overwhelm with towers and pretension. A livable city before Yuppiepalooza took over.

Berger also admonishes cities like Spokane to "realize there are wise limits" to growth (read the column here).

Here's the Dirt asks: Do you agree with his comparison to the Seattle of yore?

After four years critiquing local development and observing urban life in Spokane, the administrator of a popular local blog signed off earlier this week.

With daily posts on topics including transportation, architecture and neighborhood businesses, MetroSpokane caught the eye of city officials and local journalists. But its anonymous facilitator, Brian Jennings, was spending a couple hours a day on the site, metrospokane.typepad.com.

“It kind of became a life-balance sort of thing,” said Jennings, 39.

The blog began as a collaborative effort among students at Eastern Washington University. As posts and readership increased, so did the scope of MetroSpokane, from conversations about street furniture (think Expo ’74 trashcans) to front-yard gardens. Some posts received dozens of responses from readers.

Home Depot won't build a store on the South Hill near Palouse Highway and Regal Street, the company announced yesterday afternoon.

The announcement came just months after the Spokane City Council passed controversial comprehensive plan amendments allowing for big-box retail stores on the South Hill; Home Depot was the only announced future tenant for the three parcels, although developer Dave Black reportedly has negotiated for a possible Target.

Neighbors previously speculated Home Depot would pull out, perhaps to be replaced by a different big-box store. It's unclear what other types of development entitlements for the land would support.

"We re-evaluated this deal and found it no longer works for us," wrote spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher. "… No one factor is to blame."

The company earlier this year announced plans to cut back on new stores.

Also interestingly, neighbors and the Center for Justice are still appealing the Council's decision to the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board.

For some background, visit this post.

The longtime owner of The Factory Company International, formerly RAHCO International, has sold the manufacturing business to the owner of a Spokane Valley manufacturing company.

Richard Hanson founded R.A. Hanson Co. about 60 years ago, accoring to a news release. The company manufactured and sold heavy equipment, including machines for mining, oil, gas and agricultural industries. Mark Folsom, whose family owns Folsom Manufacturing, puchased the company.

Hanson will retire, splitting his time between Arizona and the Northwest.

Danish concern FLSmidth & Co. A/S bought the materials-handling division of RAHCO International in April 2007 for a reported $19.5 million.

After less than a year of offering homemade bread and hormone-free meat at a South Hill deli, Wheat Montana Farms closed its Spokane store last week.

The Three Forks, Mont.-based company also shuttered its locations in Coeur d'Alene, the Tri-Cities and Boise, said Jeremy Fritz, director of operations.

The Spokane store, near Regal Street and 44th Avenue, simply wasn't profitable, he said. He attributed its failure to its location and the overall economy, although he would not say why the location was not ideal.

A countywide crackdown on agricultural tax breaks intended to preserve commercial farm and timber lands could force some residents to sell their land, potentially opening it up to development, Thomas Clouse reported Saturday.

In a nutshell, an audit of the 9,236 properties receiving 76 to 98 percent tax breaks under the 1970 Open Space Taxation Act already has identified hundreds who no longer meet the criteria. They must pay seven years of back taxes, interest and a penalty, which could amount to thousands of dollars; the average bill - so far - is $6,000 to $9,000, Clouse reports. Things get even more complicated if people want to apply for a different program that offers smaller tax breaks but would allow them to avoid paying back taxes.

From a development standpoint, here's the interesting part:

"Some landowners have told county officials they'll have to sell their property to get enough money to pay the tax bills in 30 days, which officials acknowledge could end up benefiting developers."

Obviously, potential for development hinges on how the parcels are zoned and where they are located.

Read the full story here. Read an FAQ here.

Collin Beggs taps in wooden pegs that hold his timber frame structure together as he and his crew put up the frame of home outside of Spokane.

“His repertoire includes rebuilding the Palmira, N.Y., farmstead from which Joseph Smith set out to form the Mormon Church and bringing back an original, mid-19th century barn in the Farmer's Museum of Cooperstown, N.Y.

Last month, Beggs, a master timber frame builder and Alaska native, joined eight craftsmen to raise the Douglas fir skeleton of a new home for Derek Hanson, his wife, Kim Northrup, and their 5-year-old son, Skyler. It's tucked between forests and farms in rural Spokane County.”

Would you consider employing someone to use these time-honored techniques? We’d like to know how much these homes cost compared to (current) traditional ones. This home, located in Spokane County southwest of Spokane, was permitted for $226,549, according to county records. You can check out his Web site here.

Read the story here.

The new Contract Resource Group showroom.

Made by Calgary-based Dirtt (for Doing It Right This Time), the walls allow businesses to reconfigure offices without demolishing dry wall.

“Historically what we’ve done is office furniture and interior facility planning,” he said. “Where our biggest growth sector is right now is in sustainable interior architectural elements, that would be our moveable walls, modular flooring, really trying to educate the market basically on a more environmentally friendly way to build out interior spaces.”

The business, 811 E. Sprague Ave., employs 15.

Sean Deane, of DeVries Moving Packing Storage, pushes a cart of files into the new office space of Dunn & Black.

The new structure, which has a gray, orange and glass façade, is just across the street from the Peyton Building, making for a short move.

Read more about the remodel here. Also, while redevelopers previously said a rooftop sport court was off the table, word is it may be in the works.

Steve McMullen on Friday paid panhandlers on busy downtown street corners to wear bright yellow T-shirts and hand out fliers promoting his Post Falls-based Highland Financial LLC business. Six homeless people received $25 each to provide the service, which McMullen says he first thought of three years ago.

Advertising on the homeless is nothing new. In fact, a Seattle man claims to have trademarked the term “Bumvertising” to describe the practice, which he began in 2005. But advocates say it exploits those "employees."

“Honestly, they have needs and we have needs,” McMullen said. “My biggest concern was what were they going to do with the money. Was it going to go to a cause, or was it going to go to alcohol?”

McMullen was unable to pay at least one man after finding him passed out, he said.

For 32-year-old April, who declined to give her last name, wearing the shirt and holding signs along Maple Street was worth the money. She and her husband, Fred, spent part of it on a hotel room Saturday night, she said.

“I’d do it everyday if that guy brought me enough fliers,” she said. “I didn’t have a problem with it.”

The shirts say "We buy houses" and "Stop foreclosure."

This is not the first time McMullen’s been in the news. Last year, a Post Falls woman accused his company of taking the equity in her home (read that article here).

The Idaho attorney general's office settled with Highland Financial in December, fining the company $1,000 and demanding $2,000 in attorney fees and costs.

“We’re providing a service, whether you like us or not, that’s fine,” McMullen said. “We’ve kind of turned into a whistleblower on those that may be bad.”

Would you advertise your business through homeless people? Do you think this is exploitive?

That’s one conclusion of an economic impact report by the National Association of Home Builders slated to be presented to local homebuilders and public officials tonight. In another report, the association asserts impact from new homes outweighs costs to local governments for increases in public services needed to care for their residents.

A senior economist for the association uses those calculations to make what he calls an economic argument against impact fees – a method of funding infrastructure the Spokane City Council is scheduled to take up in coming weeks.

Officials have proposed the fees - which would charge developers thousands of dollars per house or commercial project construction in the city – to pay for upgrades to Spokane’s traffic system. But developers and the Spokane Home Builders Association have adamantly opposed the fees, calling them an unfair tax that could drive growth outside city lines.

According to Senior Economist Elliot Eisenberg, who was expected to address the local association’s annual dinner this evening, impact fees make buyers of new houses pay for an even greater share of infrastructure improvements not borne by existing homes. He also claims builders will incorporate fees into new home prices, deterring would-be buyers and driving up demand and prices for older homes, ultimately hurting affordability.

“I don’t think there’s economic rationale for raising impact fees,” Eisenberg said. “Politically there may be some very valid reasons to do it, but economically, I don’t find that.”

Renamed the Pioneer Victory House, the three-story structure, 925 W. Broadway Ave., is slated to provide furnished, single-room apartments and case-management services. The program is a partnership between Pioneer Human Services, of Seattle, and the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said LorieAnn Larson, senior management associate for Pioneer.

The units have been empty for more than a year, following the expiration of a federal grant, said Cindy Algeo, executive director of the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium.

Spokane’s Housing Authority, Northeast Washington Housing Solutions, had considered purchasing the building following the loss of many low-income housing units to redevelopment last year; that deal never materialized.

Workers at Gonzaga University are transforming a grass soccer practice field into an estimated $16 million residence hall to hold 340 members of next year’s freshman class.

Work on the 102,000-square-foot structure, along Hamilton Street north of the Martin Centre, comes on the heels of the recently completed 195-unit, $11 million second phase of the Kennedy Apartments.

Like those residences, the new and as-yet unnamed building will be a “hybrid” hall with a classroom, food and coffee shop and lounge and recreation areas, according to a university news release. Each floor will include an apartment for a resident assistant, chaplain or live-in faculty member.

News of the project follows Gonzaga’s admittance of another record freshman class: Figures released Tuesday show the current class number 1,103 students, compared with last year’s class of 1,031, according to the release.

The new dorms are part of a flurry of construction on the private school campus, which has a total enrollment of 7,229.

Designed by Wolfe Architectural Group P.S., of Spokane, and built by Walker Construction, the new hall will offer 18,600 square feet of parking underneath a wood-framed structure. Gonzaga expects the construction to take about a year.

Another patch of the Spokane River shoreline near Post Falls may become homes under a plan to develop part of the Ross Point Baptist Camp.

The Post Falls City Council this week approved a zoning change that would clear the way for a 17-lot subdivision on eight acres of land on the west side of the camp, 820 S. Ross Point Road.

The camp, owned by the Washington Baptist Convention, would net about $1.6 million from sales of the homes. That would cover about half the cost of a proposed expansion project envisioned by the camp’s board, said Executive Director John Batchelder.

The board wants to add a second two-story lodge, with 18 to 20 rooms, and remodel an office building into a lounge overlooking the river, he said. About 4,000 people visit the camp annually for Baptist summer camps and private retreats, he said.

“We had more acreage than we were currently using,” he said. “God was providing a way to at this point sell some of the land and do things we need to do. … A lot of prayer and discussion and work has gone into reaching this decision.”

For developer Neighborhood Inc., the subdivision is a “philanthropic-type effort,” started several years ago when board members approached late North Idaho homebuilder Tom Johnson, said his wife, Cyndie.

A subsidiary of local feed and pet supply company Aslin-Finch Co. has purchased a massive Spokane Valley industrial structure from SuperValue Holdings Inc., of Minnesota.

Purchaser Montgomery Realty boasts the roughly 500,000-square-foot building, built in the 1970s, is one of the largest in the region. It bought the 45-acre property to accommodate growth of AFCO Distribution, a wholesale division of Aslin-Finch, and a recently acquired company, Cascade Seed Co., according to a news release.

Montgomery paid $10.7 million for the property in a late-July deal, property records show.

SuperValue will lease space in the facility, which has been renamed Copper Bridge Commerce Park.

Exclusive North Idaho development The Idaho Club “remains very strong and vibrant,” despite the recent closure of builder Sullivan Homes, its developer boasts in a statement.

Pend Oreille Bonner Development LLC claims it has had 19 transaction closed or pending over the last six months, totaling $16 million.

Between August and October, it expects more than 60 “interested prospects” to visit the development on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.
Overall, it’s sold 27 lodge-style homes, and has 25 custom homes “in various stages of design review.”

So what’s really in the cards for swanky Panhandle communities? This is not the first time we’ve heard everything’s OK in the expensive-home category (check out this old S-R article). And then there’s the news release by Sullivan Homes Idaho, sent in early August after sister company Sullivan Homes in Spokane closed:

But, WE are still here! Sullivan Homes Idaho is still a successful, functioning builder in Sandpoint, Idaho. With our different projects in the area, we intend to make it through this distressful time. We intend to continue our partnership and participation in the Extreme Team with KXLY and keep helping those that need help. And, we intend to keep our name as Sullivan Homes Idaho."

What’s your take? Any evidence the luxury market in North Idaho is going one way or the other? Are people who can afford these homes really insulated from everything going on in the market?

The Spokane Public Facilities District board is expected this afternoon to approve a roughly $7 million settlement with Spokane architect Glen Cloninger to purchase his land south of the Spokane Convention Center and end his lawsuit against the city.

District Executive Director Kevin Twohig said he expects the board to approve the proposal, reached at mediation last week, at its 12:30 p.m. meeting. Cloninger sued in December after the City Council granted the district authority to condemn the 61,000 square feet of land, which it wants for a convention center expansion and more parking.

Settling would save the city time and money, Twohig asserted.

“We were looking at a very long, very expensive run to get this accomplished,” he said. “And I think we’ve taken 18 to 24 months out of the process by reaching this settlement, and (saved) all of those attorneys fees.”

The city had sought property on that block of Spokane Falls Boulevard, which currently houses surface parking and bar The Blvd., for decades.

For some background, check out this recent Journal of Business story.

Here’s some good news for the Inland Northwest on a day of economic turmoil: Propelled by recent job growth and an increase in the value of high-tech goods produced by its economy, Spokane ranked No. 35 of the 200 largest metro areas measured annually by economic think tank Milken Institute.

Spokane jumped 46 spots, putting it 12th among the list of the biggest gainers. Notably, it placed No. 6 for one-year high-tech gross domestic product growth from 2006-07, at about 7 percent above the national average for that category. The city ranked at about 6 percent above the national average for five-year job growth.

Coeur d’Alene earned the No. 2 rank among 124 smallest cities measured, posting high numbers in five-year job growth (No. 3 nationally) and job growth between March 2007 and March 2008 (No. 2 nationally). It was No. 6 overall last year.

“Despite the housing downturn, overall job and wage growth in this region outperformed the national average,” the report states. “Our five-year indicators, which encompass the period from 2002 to 2007, show that employment and wages in Coeur d’Alene grew 18.89 and 21.8 percent over the national average, respectively.”