Azteca Restaurant Enterprises Inc., the Burien, Wash.-based restaurant chain that operates a restaurant near the Spokane Convention Center, has reached a preliminary agreement to buy the former Mustard Seed building nearby.


David Hall, co-owner of Mustard Seed Inc., which owns the building, says the Mexican restaurant chain has 60 days to decide if it wants to buy the two-story building at 245 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., which was listed at $650,000.


Ill be pleased if it goes through. They signed the preliminary agreement last week, says Hall. Azteca will do some studies, and have their architect look at the building. They can still back out.


Aztecas facility director, Jerry Whitehead, wouldnt confirm or deny whether the chain has such an agreement.


No comment until things are done with the city, Whitehead said Tuesday.


Aztecas current property across the street at 200 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. is a key piece of real estate in the proposed roughly $80 million Spokane Convention Center expansion project.


The Spokane Public Facilities District Board has said it plans to buy Aztecas current property and raze the restaurant building to make way for the expansion.


The PFD recently scuttled a plan to pay Azteca $2.1 million for the building and land, and help it relocate a couple of blocks away at the northeast corner of Main Avenue and Washington Street.


The plan was revised after opposition arose from some downtown businesses. The PFD board and Azteca will now negotiate a price for the property.


Mustard Seed moved its downtown restaurant to the NorthTown Mall more than two years ago, but the companys headquarters are still located upstairs in the downtown building. Hall says if the sale goes through, Mustard Seed would move its corporate operations.


The main floor of the Mustard Seed building has 7,200 square feet of floor space and room for 200 customers.


Azteca currently operates 35 restaurants in Washington and Oregon including two here.


Aztecas downtown restaurant has about 11,000 square feet of floor space and employs about 50.