Here’s one I just couldn’t wait until Monday to share. Wonder Spokane, LLC has proposed a stellar, game-changing adaptive reuse of the former Wonder Bread Building on the North Bank of the Spokane River. The 111,000 square foot former bakery sits at 821 W Mallon Ave, directly across from the Spokane Arena. At its peak, the plant produced 500,000 pounds of bread products each week, until it closed in 2000. Now the investors of Wonder Spokane, LLC, apparently led by Denver lawyer and businessman Pete Mounsey, believe the building can be a promising site for redevelopment, as they’ve applied to attend a Pre-Development Conference* with the City.

Their version of the Wonder Bread Building would see it completely transformed and restored, adding a partly-glass third story and other unique amenities. The first floor of the historic building would occupied by a market hall concept much larger than Spokane’s only other existing market hall, Saranac Commons. The second and third floors, meanwhile, would be occupied by leasable office space, with an event space and rooftop patio on the third floor. In addition to the redevelopment of the historic building, the developer proposes an attractive-looking parking garage with two completely separate retail spaces on the west (Lincoln St) side. The sum total of these investments would be a complete revitalization of the North Bank of the river and significantly more life on this crucial corridor connecting the Spokane Arena with Kendall Yards. We look forward to hearing more details as the developer shares its plans.

*A Pre-Development Conference is not a building permit application. It simply indicates that a developer is intensely exploring a project. That said, the Wonder Spokane, LLC proposal includes the type of detailed plan drawings and architectural sketches which typically accompany a later-successful project.

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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: What do you think? Are you excited by the Mounsey-Wonder Spokane proposal? What about the proposal seems the most interesting? The rooftop patio? The retail as part of the parking garage? The new third flood? What about the idea of a market hall––is that something you’d like to see more of in Spokane? Share your thoughts in the comments below, on Facebook, or on Twitter. We love to hear from you!

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