Proposed warehouse in West Plains rumored to have ties to Amazon

Taylor Graham by Taylor Graham

A new Amazon Fulfillment Center could crop up in Spokane in just over a year.

A building permit for a development named “Project Rose” was submitted to Spokane County and the project is rumored to have ties to the e-commerce giant. Floor plans for “Project Rose” call for a four-story warehouse on West Geiger Road in the West Plains area near the Spokane International Airport. Three of the four levels would hold robotic storage platforms for manufacturing.

A commercial building permit application to develop the land was submitted by Trammel Crow Company. The real estate developer’s website shows the company managed construction for at least two Amazon centers in California. The applicants value the proposed warehouse at $181 million.

“If all goes as hoped, it’s going to be a large employer in the region,” county commissioner Josh Kerns said.

A traffic analysis submitted to the city shows the warehouse would employ 2,288 employees typically and 2,963 employees during peak season. The analysis also states Project Rose would create 4,880 weekday trips for employees.

Dawn Dompier, a project coordinator for Spokane County, told KXLY4 the development would cover 79 acres. Kerns said he couldn’t confirm the speculation the warehouse would be home to Amazon employees, but did say the developers behind “Project Rose” may be interested in West Plains due to its new public development authority.

“We’re a lot more attractive to a lot of businesses than we were a year and a half or two years ago,” Kerns said.

Kerns said the city, county and the airport agreed to invest tax money back into the area itself to spur economic growth and attract new manufacturing business.

Whether the site is for Amazon or not, Kerns is eager to see economic growth hit West Plains.

“When businesses are opening, that means more people are employed, more people are shopping at retail establishments, eating at restaurants, purchasing homes and that helps improve Spokane County’s bottom line,” Kerns said.

Kerns told KXLY4 the project is in the beginning stages and that nothing has been signed off on just yet. If approved, the county expects the owners behind “Project Rose” to break ground next year, with an expected completion date of August 2019.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.