After almost five years of planning, a $2.8 million indoor basketball complex in the Spokane Valley is moving forward.


Kert Carlson, the projects originator and managing partner of the Carlson & Associates LLC investment group, says that site work for the 66,500-square-foot facility is under way, and a groundbreaking ceremony is planned for later this month. The building is scheduled to be completed next January.


Carlson & Associates is developing the center, and it will be managed by Sports-USA, a nonprofit organization established for that purpose. The facility will be rented out to sports organizations, mostly youth basketball and volleyball leagues, Carlson says. Many such organizations have expressed interest in renting court time at the new facility, he says.


The facility will be located along Cataldo Avenue, just east of the Central Valley School District administration building, and will be visible from Interstate 90.


The building is to include a 56,000-square-foot main floor with enough hardwood-court space to accommodate five basketball courts or 10 volleyball courts at a time, as well as seating for spectators. A concession stand and retail space also will be located on the main level. Stadium Sports Inc., a silk-screening-and-embroidery company Carlson owns, will lease the retail space, he says.


A 10,500-square-foot mezzanine level will include office space for SportsUSA staff, locker rooms, a conference room, and two studios available for fitness classes, such as aerobics or yoga.


Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is providing design-build services on the project.


As currently envisioned, the courts facility is much smaller and less expensive than the structure Carlson initially had thought about building, which was to include 121,000 square feet of floor space and would have cost $8 million to $10 million.


Instead of developing one big facility, however, Carlson & Associates hopes to build later a few additional structures on land adjacent to the courts-complex site, including perhaps a 10,000-square-foot office building for Stadium Sports, a 77,000-square-foot baseball training facility, and a restaurant.


Carlson says the investment group has options to buy a couple of 5-acre parcels and will decide whether to exercise those options within the next year.


Those buildings, however, likely are a few years away from coming to fruition, Carlson says.