SPOKANE-- The first construction at Kendall Yards could start in the next two weeks. Permits were approved Monday to begin building the first phase of homes on the prized 78-acre downtown site.
Jim Frank is the CEO of Greenstone Homes. He says the company is excited about being able to start 18 units, which include 9 single family houses and 9 townhouse units.
In the last ten days, city building officials approved permits for 13 homes at Kendall Yards, the first actual permits approved for the site. It’s part of the first phase of construction allowed by the city hearing examiner last month totaling 120 units.
The work will start in the next two weeks, but as for what’s next for the rest of the project, that remains to be seen. There are still plenty of public hearings that have to take place before the rest of the work can begin.
Two-thirds of Kendall Yards remain subject to public approval. A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The main hang-up is one of the main parts of Greenstone’s plans, pedestrian friendly roads. Frank says there are also roads for bicyclists, passageways for pedestrians and those roads need to accommodate non-motorized vehicles and non-motorized transportation. But they also have to accommodate fire trucks and other city vehicles. The parties are working to make sure the streets stay wide enough to be safe, but are tight enough to make the developer happy.
