A $17.5 million memory care facility is rising at Orchard Crest Retirement Community, in Spokane Valley. 

Susanne Lunt, executive director at Orchard Crest LLC, says the walls of the two-story, 43,400-square-foot building are up, and the roof is mostly in place. 

Also, electrical and plumbing work have begun at the new facility. 

Lunt says the project is slightly ahead of schedule, with the design-build team of Spokane-based Lydig Construction Inc. and Portland-based LRS Architects Inc. set to finish the expansion by December. 

Located at 222 S. Evergreen Road, the memory care facility will host 48 units, which will be a blend of single- and double-occupancy living spaces.

LRS Architects, which specializes in memory-care facility design, included a sunroom, a sensory and tactile room, and an enclosed courtyard in its plans for the facility. 

The building also will have common areas for recreation, a dining area on each floor, and a coffee shop-style gathering area. 

Therapeutic stations along the walls of the common spaces will invite residents to engage in activities that relate to their former occupations or to stimulate memories.

For example, a resident who was once a homemaker might be drawn to the “nursery,” which will offer life-size weighted baby dolls for residents to interact with.  

In addition to the new memory care facility, which is being built on nine acres to the west of the existing facility, Orchard Crest has four triplex buildings, 39 assisted living units, and 131 independent living apartments at the complex. 

A triplex building and a couple of single-family homes on the site were demolished or moved to a new location after the company bought the parcels last year. 

Orchard Crest has about 60 employees currently. 

The retirement home operator plans to hire an additional 20 employees to staff the memory care facility once it’s operational. 

Washington Capital Management Inc. provided financing for the expansion project.

That  employee-owned investment company  is headquartered in Seattle and has an office in Spokane.