Spokane developer Jordan Tampien is planning a 44-unit apartment complex on a portion of the parking lot behind the Garland Theater, where he says the revenue generated will help support theater operations.

The $6 million complex tentatively is dubbed the Garland Apartments and is comprised of four, four-story buildings with 8,000 square feet per floor.

As planned, the unit mix includes eight two-bedroom units, 20 one-bedroom, and 16 studio apartments available in two sizes, Tampien says. Several covered, open-air walkways will connect the buildings and lead to an exterior courtyard for community gatherings and an outdoor theater space. 

Exterior plans also call for secured bicycle storage and dog areas.

T.W. Clark Construction LLC, of Spokane Valley, is the contractor on the project. Spokane-based Press Architecture LLC designed it.

Building permit applications likely will be submitted to the city of Spokane by mid-March, after the environmental review of the project is completed, Tampien says.

"Our goal is to break ground in June and have it done by next April," he says. "Hopefully within a year, it'll (look) like it's always been there."

The exterior design of the complex will complement the theater's color palette but have a more modern design, he says.

Developing market-rate apartments made the most sense at the site, compared to a commercial or retail development, due to multifamily housing demand in the neighborhood and a potential for consistent income generation, he says.

"The Garland was losing like $200,000 a year, so it's not sustainable as a business entity," Tampien says of the historic art deco theater, which he recently purchased at the northeast corner of Garland Avenue and Monroe Street. 

He says he needs to create a source of revenue to supplement some of the theater's operating costs and drive more people to the Garland District.

"We're taking a space that generated no revenue and using that revenue to create a sustainable rent payment for the tenants," Tampien says. "That's 44 families that are going to Rocket Bakery or the (Garland) Drinkery in the Garland neighborhood."

Separately, Tampien says improvements at the Garland Theater are expected to be completed in a few months, now that the business has new liquor and business licenses in hand.

"We should be open by summer," says Tampien. "This is usually a slow time for the theater anyway, so I think the timing worked out pretty well."