Construction projects in Moses Lake booming
Apartments are being built along Nelson Road in Moses Lake. They join the slew of construction projects going on in the town.
MOSES LAKE — With the third largest lake in Washington state and numerous commercial and residential opportunities, Moses Lake is in high demand both as a place to live and play.
‘Tis the season – the construction season, that is – and there are building projects all over the city.
WinCo Foods is finally ready to move forward after a Grant County Superior Court judge dismissed a case challenging the employee-owned store’s efforts to build in Moses Lake. WinCo has been issued a building permit to build a store located between Stratford Road and Central Drive, adjacent to Moses Lake Town Center. Square footage is unavailable, but the store is to be located on about 16 acres, according to city documents.
“Compared to last year at this same time, permit numbers are up and revenues are up,” Community Development Director Gil Alvarado said. “In a snapshot, things are definitely in a much better economic environment this year than they were last year during the same reporting period.”
While there is no certain date as to when construction will begin on the new WinCo store, there is plenty in the works.
On the residential side, Hayden Homes’ Crossroads North Phase I west of Highway 17 and Nelson Road is fully involved in its six-phase housing development.
“There’s another 150 lots in six phases to the Crossroads project,” said senior planner Anne Henning. “Aho Construction has close to 200 lots to build west of town near Blue Heron Park. It’s been really busy this spring and that usually means good things for growth and development.”
There are 180 units going in at the Chelsea Park Apartments near Crestview Christian School on West Valley Road. All of the excavation and grading on Pioneer Way is the site of another apartment complex called Pioneer Meadows.
“We just issued that permit. It’s going to be a 189-unit apartment complex,” Alvarado said. “The Solara Apartments in the 1300 block of Nelson Road is 228 units.”
Currently, plans are underway to build a two-story Grant Transit Authority traffic center to house buses at 116 Fifth Ave. “It’ll be a park and ride similar to what you see in downtown Wenatchee,” Alvarado said. “We’ve been working on this for awhile.”
Plans for a new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott are underway on the vacant property on Maiers Road. The hotel will be three stories and will have 84 rooms, according to developer John Ferguson. The new Fairfield Inn & Suites in Moses Lake will operate as a Marriott franchise once its construction is complete.
Ten Pin Brewing Co. is ready to move into its new phase of development with the completion of its new 14,000 square foot facility with a custom-built 30-barrel brewing system that will give the brewery an initial capacity of 7,500 barrels per year, with room to grow. The new facility is adjacent to the iconic Lake Bowl, which the Russell Family has owned since 1957, has the capability to expand quickly to 21,000-barrel operation.
The MACC Dispatch Center is in the initial stages and just had the Shearwall inspection completed, Alvarado said.
Other projects in the works:
— Safeway is doing a small remodel of the produce department for expanded service.
— Samaritan Hospital, 801 E. Wheeler, is doing a remodel to its cardiac and ultrasound center
— The third marijuana retail store, called Funkle Buds, is opening on West Broadway Avenue and Third Avenue.
— Ernie’s Truck Stop is doing exterior upgrades to its facilities.
— A new sushi restaurant called Sumo Express will be opening at 933 N. Stratford Rd.
— Pita Pit on East Broadway Avenue is wrapping up its remodeling stages.