Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co., which claims to be the nations largest drugstore chain, says it plans to open its 10th Spokane-area outlet next fall, at the northwest corner of 29th Avenue and Grand Boulevard.


In preparation for constructing a 14,800-square-foot building there, four houses, plus a 7,000-square-foot office building at 2830 S. Grand, will be torn down, says William Petersen, a Spokane dentist who owns all of that property. The office building previously was occupied by a branch office of Alpharetta, Ga.-based U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group. Petersen says he plans to develop the new structure and lease it to Walgreen Co.


He estimates the cost of constructing the building at $2 million, but says he hasnt selected a contractor for the job yet.


Three of the houses to be torn down are on 29th, west of the former HealthWorks building, while the other house is on 28th Avenue, just west of a building where Peterson conducts his dental practice.


Carol Hively, Walgreen Co.s corporate spokeswoman, says, We are looking at a number of other locations there, including one near the intersection of Trent Avenue and Hamilton Street, but they are all tentative sites at this time.


All of Walgreen Co.s 5,580 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are corporately owned, says Hively.


In addition to the stores here, Walgreen Co. has a store in Coeur dAlene and another in Post Falls.