YMCA of the Inland Northwest has agreed to buy a 15.9-acre parcel of land north of Spokane on which the organization hopes to develop a North Side facility for the metropolitan area.


Rig Riggins, president and CEO of the Spokane nonprofit organization, says it is scheduled to complete on Jan. 10 the purchase of the land, which is located along the west side of U.S. 2, across the highway from where Nevada Street joins with its eastern side.


He declines for now to disclose the purchase price for the land.


YMCA began studying the feasibility of developing a North Side facility earlier this year, and Riggins says its research indicated a demand for such a location. Now, he says, the organization is starting to gather a list of supporters to prepare for a fund-raising campaign.


Construction of a new facility still likely is three years away, Riggins says.


YMCA currently operates two facilities, one in downtown Spokane and one in the city of Spokane Valley.


The organization hasnt determined the size and scope of the envisioned North Side facility, but would like to develop something comparable to the Valley YMCA.


That facility, which is located at Mirabeau Point and is visible from Interstate 90, is a 48,000-square-foot structure that cost about $6 million to develop. It includes a swimming pool with waterslide, a gymnasium, a weight room, and a youth and teen center, as well as some outdoor courts. The North Side site is comparable in size to that on which the Valley location was constructed.


The Downtown Spokane YMCA, which is located at Riverfront Park, is about 39 years old and has nearly all of the same offerings as the Valley location.


While the YMCA doesnt have a facility on the North Side, it conducts summer day programs in that part of town, and more than 1,000 families annually enroll in YMCA youth sports and after-school care programs held at various locations on the North Side.