Planning is underway for a roughly 100,000-square-foot marine sales and service facility in Liberty Lake.

The planned boat shop will occupy a now-vacant 40-acre site at 24901 E. Appleway, next to the eastbound lanes of Interstate-90 about 1 1/2 miles from the Washington-Idaho border.

Named Market B Marine Sales & Service, the project is expected to be completed in two phases, says Lisa Key, director of planning, engineering, and building services for the city of Liberty Lake.

“They’re champing at the bit to get their early grading permit and we’re still in review for that,” Key says. “I know that they want to get this going by the end of the year.”

Scott Johnson, of Missoula, Montana-based Market B LLC, is listed as the site owner on a building permit filed with the city.

Johnson couldn’t be reached immediately for comment for this story.

Spokane-based Walker Construction Inc. is listed on the building permit as the contractor for the planned project, Spokane-based Bernardo Wills is listed as the architect, and the Spokane office of Coffman Engineers Inc. is providing engineering services.

Representatives of Bernardo Wills and Coffman Engineers decline to comment on the planned project, with the contact at Coffman Engineers citing a nondisclosure agreement.

According to a preliminary site plan on file with the city of Liberty Lake, the building will include about 40,000 square feet of sales space, which will consist of a sales floor, administrative services, a customer-service area, and restrooms.

The facility will also include a roughly 60,000-square-foot service area, which will have 42 service bays, a paint booth, wash bays, and a parts warehouse, the site plan shows.

The first phase of the project will include construction of about 70,000 square feet of the sales and service facility, according to a State Environmental Policy Act checklist on file with the city. The second phase will include a 25,000-square-foot expansion of that building, the checklist shows.

Also included in the first phase will be the construction of a 16,000-square-foot marine storage building, customer parking, an outdoor sales and display area, and landscaping, the environmental document shows. The site plan shows almost 250 parking spaces next to the sales and service building.

“There’s some significant work that needs to be done,” Key says. “They need to build a sewer lift station, among other things.”

The construction value for the first phase of the proposed project is estimated at $8.4 million, according to the building permit.

A project timeline listed on the environmental checklist shows construction is expected to be completed in fall 2024. Key says that goal is likely for just the first phase of construction.