POST FALLS, Idaho — Construction is underway on the former Idaho Veneer site, as reported by our news partner, The Coeur d'Alene Press.
The Millworx community will include in its first phase a 90-unit apartment complex with retail space on the main floor and 60 “town-home style condominiums,” according to representative Robert Jacobs, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential.
The condos will range in size and features, with a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1,400 square foot unit starting in the “high $400s,” Jacobs said.
Three condo styles are planned with specific design features. The "Ridge" series could be available for sale this summer, with construction expected to complete in October. Ridge units will front Fourth Avenue and are already visible from Seltice Way.
"Vista" units will provide the best views of the mountains. They're expected to be larger and include fireplaces, private fenced-in courtyards and detached two-car garages.
The third complex will be “Garden” units that feature landscaping and a path through a garden space. They should be available for purchase late this year.
Commercial ventures are part of the “live, work, play” design, said Danny Davis, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Commercial who has been working on the project for the past seven years.
Several landmarks on the property will be repurposed, in keeping with the Pacific Northwest style the project will maintain. A “dual brand” hotel is planned, as well as several restaurants and other retail ventures.
“We would love to see a grocer go in on this side,” Davis said. “Maybe an office project, a retail strip center. The intent is to really try to focus and service the district.”
Project developers intend to create an “urban center environment,” Davis said. It's also important to them to honor the history of the site as well, Jacobs said.
“The mill history runs deep in Post Falls. They’re trying to come up with ways to nod to the mill history there,” he said. “It’s not all new buildings. There’s also cool elements that they’re fixing up and trying to incorporate in a meaningful way.”
The old silo will remain, and several buildings will be converted into restaurant or brewery spaces.
“Like most things, commercial does follow the residential, so as these rooftops get finished and people start calling it their home, the rest of this stuff will snowball,” Davis said.
The Centennial Trail runs along the southern border of the complex. Green spaces and public parking are part of the design.
“This is really going to become part of the catalyst of helping revitalize that entire part of the city of Post Falls, which is part of what the city's vision is,” Davis said.
The plan dates back to 2005, when the city created Smart Code zoning and had the vision of “an urban mixed-use downtown core,” Jacobs said.
Along with construction on the apartment complex and condominiums, frontage along Fourth Avenue will be dramatically improved.
“Both sides of that road need full-on frontage improvements,” Davis said. “That’s happening this summer. You’ll see a lot of construction. It’s a multi-million dollar project just to get the frontage on the street improved to where it needs to be.”
Completion of the project will take at least another seven years, with phase one expected to be finished by the end of 2023, Davis said.