Thomas Clouse: The Dirt: Large assisted-living facility planned for North Division

Aug. 18—Seattle-based Magnet Design and Development is seeking a permit to build a 123-unit assisted-living facility along North Division in Spokane.

The proposed Vineyard Park Assisted Living Facility would be inside a five-story building at 7609 N. Division St. The site would take up the south parking lot of a former Costco Wholesale Corp. building.

The location of the projected $21.7 million assisted-living facility is just west of Big 5 Sporting Goods and just north of Holy Family Funeral and Cemetery Services.

According to the permit, the project is being built by Magnet Design and Development, of Seattle. According to the company's website, it started in 2009 developing a portfolio of senior-living facilities throughout Western Washington, Spokane and Arizona.

The company's principal, Kevin Carl, was out of town and could not be reached for comment. But according to his LinkedIn page, Magnet Design and Development is currently working on two 80-bed memory care facilities in Spokane, another in Tucson, a 156-bed unit facility in Bothel, Washington, and recently completed a 90-bed project in Covington, Washington.

The new 68-foot-tall building in Spokane would total 110,824 square feet. Of that, 91,079 square feet would be used for assisted-living housing, 5,193 square feet for dining and another 14,552 square feet for "business."

The listed contractor is Baker Construction, of Spokane. The architect is Erik Lund of Blue Architecture and Interiors, of Bremerton.

Reached this week, Lund said he was not authorized to talk about the project.

Coffee and an oil change

Dutch Bros Coffee is trying a new model that will include the standard java business in the same building as a Take 5 Oil Change in a new structure being built at 807 N. Sullivan Road in Spokane Valley.

Daniel Jones, project manager for Yost Gallagher Construction, of Spokane, said work already has started on the building that will include both the coffee business, owned by Kerry Parker, and the oil change business, which is one of several planned for the area by owner Jeff Gross.

"They are sharing the building expenses for the site and the individual costs for both buildings," Jones said. "We are building both at the same time."

Yost Gallagher built Gross' first Take 5 in the area last year at 9205 N. Newport Highway.

The architect for the Sullivan project is Scott Ballard.

Jones said he expects construction to be completed near the end of November.

The projected cost of the Dutch Bros facility, which will be about 960 square feet, was listed at $800,000. The cost of the Take 5 wasn't immediately available.

Gonzaga Prep bleachers

Gonzaga Preparatory School officials have applied for a building permit that will allow them to add new bleachers to Alumni Gym and a second entrance to the chain-link fence that surrounds the football field.

Paul Manfred, vice principal of athletics & facilities, said the project is on hold until materials can be delivered in October.

"We may not get the pedestrian gate put in during the football season," Manfred said.

However, once permits are obtained and the bleachers arrive, work can begin in the Alumni Gym, he said.

School staff currently use portable bleachers that must be shifted for various activities, he said.

"We are constantly moving those around. It's a safety issue," Manfred said. "We want fixed bleachers that fold up against the wall."

The new pedestrian gate will be placed next to the existing stadium gate. The new gate will make it easier to access the field without opening the larger gate.

"It helps us secure our campus," Manfred said. "We've been looking to do it for a couple years, but COVID stalled us a little bit."

Garco Construction, of Spokane, is building it and Jason McDonald, an architect with Garco, is designing both projects.

The estimated cost is listed at $125,000.

Rolled Steel warehouse planned

A building permit request has been filed by Rolled Steel Products Inc., of Spokane, which is seeking to build a 7,200-square-foot warehouse at 2724 E. Desmet Ave.

That location is just across the street from the company's headquarters at 1010 N. Nelson St.

The pre-engineered steel building will include about 5,400 square feet of storage for rolled-steel coils and about 1,800 square feet of office space, said Drew Kleman, who is the project architect and owner of PRESS Architecture of Spokane.

"It's essentially storage in support of the existing facility," Kleman said.

The listed contractor is Cut Above Enterprise Inc., of Spokane. Kleman said the start date for construction remains in flux.

The projected cost for the 21-foot-tall building is listed at $1 million.