Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center will open a year behind schedule due to construction delays, says Yvonne Johnson, executive artistic director of the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre. 

"Due to unforeseen disruptions to construction, we will be delayed until next summer," says Johnson. "We are awaiting a new timeline and hope to announce opening dates before our 2024 SVST summer season begins at University High School."

Additionally, the estimated $48 million cost of construction likely will be adjusted upward, and an updated budget currently is under review.

"As has been the case for most construction projects over the past several years, our construction and labor costs have risen dramatically due to inflation, supply, and demand," says Johnson.

In February, Spokane-based Walker Construction Inc. was selected as the new general contractor for the remainder of the development, which is now slated to open in summer 2025. Previously, Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, was the project contractor, she says. 

Spokane-based NAC Architecture designed the venue. 

In the last year, utilities have been installed, and some concrete work has been completed. Now, the structure is between 15% and 20% completed, Johnson says.

The envisioned three-story, 59,000-square-foot performing arts center is being built on 5 acres of land at 13609 E. Mansfield, on the southeast corner of Mansfield Avenue and Mirabeau Parkway, in Spokane Valley's Mirabeau Park neighborhood.

Updated design plans call for a 463-seat mainstage auditorium, a 220-seat flexible studio theater, and an 8,000-square-foot, third-floor auditorium with an outdoor terrace that can hold up to 400 patrons, Johnson says.

"The scope of this project is not like anything else in the region, so there has been a learning curve for all parties involved," Johnson says.