Fred Meyer Inc. says it hopes to begin work early next year on a planned store at the southwest corner of Third Avenue and Thor Street in east central Spokane.


Marilyn Coffel, a spokeswoman for the Portland, Ore.-based retail chain, says the store is expected to have 138,000 square feet of floor space, somewhat less than a typical Fred Meyer store. Fred Meyer has decided to build the smaller store because thats what will fit best on the eight-acre site, which is bounded by Third and Fifth avenues and Thor and Ray streets.


Despite its smaller size, the store still will offer the same merchandise as other Fred Meyer stores here, including a grocery department, Coffel says.


The land-use designation for the eight-acre site, which is owned by the family of Spokane developer Judy Hart, recently was changed by the Spokane Plan Commission to allow the store to be built there. The land-use designation previously allowed only residential uses, including apartment complexes and duplexes.


Before construction can begin, Hart must ask the city to change the zoning of the property to commercial business from residential and a building permit must be sought.


Once work begins on the store, construction is expected to take between nine and 10 months to complete, Coffel says. She says that Fred Meyer typically puts its construction projects out to bid, but she was unsure when that would occur.


About 35,000 square feet of the planned store will be located on a mezzanine level that would be accessible from the main floor by both escalators and elevators, Coffel says. She says that soft goods such as apparel, shoes, and linens likely would be located on the mezzanine level, while the remaining departments would be on the main level.


The store would be located just off the Thor-Freya interchange with Interstate 90, near where the southern axis of the planned north-south freeway would be built.


The planned store would be Fred Meyers fourth in Spokane. The company already operates stores here at 525 E. Francis, 15609 E. Sprague, and 12120 N. Division.


Aside from its plans at Third and Thor, Fred Meyer currently isnt planning any additional stores in the Spokane area, but Coffel says the company always is looking for good sites.