Spokane-based Washington Trust Bank is moving forward with its plans to develop a neighborhood community center and coffee shop on a vacant pad site on Spokane’s South Hill.

A city of Spokane building application calls for a 3,400-square-foot building to be built at 3173 S. Grand Blvd., which is at the northeast corner of 32nd Avenue and Grand Boulevard.

The community center will be located just south of the new Washington Trust Manito branch that opened at the end of 2018.

Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the $750,000 project, and Wolfe Architectural Group PS, also of Spokane, designed it. Seattle-based DCI Engineers, which has an office in Spokane, is providing engineering services for the community center and coffee shop project. 

Cathie Winegar, vice president of division operations for the bank, says Washington Trust wants to build a community center that will serve the surrounding neighborhood.

“It’s not just for our clients,” Winegar says. “There’s a demand in the neighborhood for meeting space for groups like PTA, small business groups, and business owners.”

She says Washington Trust also will make use of meeting spaces to host financial education and first-time home buying seminars.

In recent years, Washington Trust has completed at least two major branch remodels in Spokane and replaced the Manito branch altogether. Wolfe Architectural Group also designed the remodels.

Washington Trust has 41 branches in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. With more than 1,000 employees, the bank has $6.5 billion in managed assets.