Thomas Clouse: The Dirt: Avista Stadium renovation set to begin

Jul. 28—The first permits have been sought to begin the multimillion-dollar additions and renovations to Avista Stadium, at 602 N. Havana St., in Spokane Valley.

The first permits seeks to build two structures and start the demolition and remodel of existing facilities, said Todd Keller of ALSC Architects of Spokane.

"We are building a new strength-and-conditioning building and new maintenance building. And, the third-base clubhouse is being added onto," Keller said of the first phase.

The work seeks to add a total of 20,205 square feet and cost $5 million. The contractor is Lydig Construction Inc., of Spokane.

Andrew Leeper, of ALSC Architects, is the lead architect and project manager. He works with Keller, who noted that the project start is somewhat dependent on when the Spokane Indians finish their current season.

"If they can switch their final games to somewhere else, we could probably start sooner," he said.

Otherwise, work will begin when the season concludes.

The project is part of an overall $23 million project to upgrade the facility after Major League Baseball announced that it was raising the standard for minor league ballparks throughout the country.

Avista Stadium, which was built in 1958, needs a long list of upgrades before the 2025 season to comply with MLB's new requirements.

Player improvements, such as new locker rooms, training facilities and dugouts, will cost $16.5 million. The county and the Indians also are adding spectator amenities, including new field-level seats at the end of the dugouts.

Keller said the permits and work schedule were structured to meet the 2025 deadline.

Houk Apartments planned

A permit request has been submitted to Spokane Valley to build a 14-unit apartment building on vacant land at 1024 S. Houk Road.

The project is located just east of South Pines Road and just north of the Peaks on Pines Apartments.

The planned two-story building would include a total of 12,593 square feet and the cost of construction was estimated at $2 million.

The applicant is Vadim Smelik, of Kodiak General Contracting. Smelik said he was not sure when he expected to start the project or how long the construction would take to complete.

The architect for the building is Steve Goodmansen, of Bernardo Wills Architects of Post Falls. Goodmansen could not immediately be reached for comment.

New Valley storage unit

Storage Solutions Spokane has sought a building permit from Spokane Valley to build a 504 unit facility at 19311 E. Appleway Ave.

The two-new buildings and a covered-open area would include a total of 89,807 square feet and include storage facilities and office space. The estimated cost for the proposal was estimated at $6.2 million.

The site is located on the north side of East Appleway, just east of Barker Road and south of East Broadway Avenue.

It's owned by Ryan Layton, the CEO of Storage Solutions Spokane.

Earlier this year, Layton also sought a building permit from Spokane Valley to construct a new coffee stand at the same address, 19311 E. Appleway Ave.

The company also has storage facilities at 4300 S. Cheney-Spokane Road, two in Liberty Lake, and one each in Suncrest, Riverside and Deer Park.

Layton could not immediately be reached for comment about the proposed Spokane Valley location.