Spokane International Airport has decided to move ahead with plans for a new multitenant speculative building in its business park on the eastern edge of the airport property.


The Spokane Airport Board is seeking an architect to design the structure, and construction could start as soon as late next spring, airport spokesman Todd Woodard says.


As previously envisioned, the single-story building would have about 30,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. It had been expected to cost about $3.2 million, but that could change, Woodard says.


It would be marketed to business tenants that wish to be close to the airport.


At least once a month, we get strong, financially sound companies looking for space out here, Woodard says.


The planned site for the proposed building is at the east end of the Spokane International Airport Business Park, near the parks entrance on Geiger Boulevard.


The Airports board said earlier this year that it was considering constructing a new spec structure at the park, but it didnt decide until recently to move forward with the project, Woodard says. The board is scheduled to begin interviewing architects early next month, and to select an architect for the project at its Oct. 16 board meeting.


Located southeast of the passenger terminal across the main runway, the 600-acre business park currently includes 42 buildings with about 682,000 square feet of floor space.


Another $17.5 million in projects at the airport are progressing on schedule, Woodard says. Those projects, which will be completed over the next two years, include rebuilding and expanding a taxiway, constructing a new cargo apron, and building new service roads.