Ford Leasing Development Corp., an affiliate of Ford Motor Co., has bought three parcels of land in Airway Heights from Western United Life Assurance Co., an insurance subsidiary of Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co., of Spokane, according to a warranty deed recorded with Spokane County.


The three parcels front on U.S. 2 and occupy a portion of an area bounded by U.S. 2, 12th Avenue, and Russell and Garfield roads. Ford Leasing Development bought the property, which includes about five acres, for $950,000 in November, according to documents recorded at the county.


Officials at Western United Life Assurance declined to comment about the transaction, saying that Ford Leasing Development plans to make its own announcement about the purchase, once it has decided what to do with the property.


Last October, Nate Greene, owner of Spokanes Empire Ford dealership, confirmed that he was evaluating whether to move Empire to Airway Heights from 423 W. Third downtown because its current location is too small and inconvenient for customers and lacks parking and display space.


Greene now says he doesnt know yet whether his downtown dealership will move to the Airway Heights property that Ford Leasing Development recently bought. He says that Ford Leasing Development hasnt decided how it will use the land, and isnt expected to make a decision on that until the end of the year.


There are a lot bigger things that have to be decided first, before theyll make any decisions about the land, says Greene, adding that the needs of all of the Ford dealerships in Spokane and not just Empires needs, must be evaluated before that decision is made.