Spokane-based Storage Solutions Nine Mile LLC has started construction of a 75,000-square-foot self-storage facility at 5920 state Route 291, in the Nine Mile Falls community, says Ryan Layton, the company’s chief operating officer.

In addition to the storage development, a retail development with roughly 10,000 square feet of floor space is expected to be constructed on the property’s highway frontage, says Layton.

Layton, who declines to disclose a project cost, says a 5,400-square-foot building on the development site is being renovated into the self-storage facility’s office space. About 2,400 square feet of the structure will be leased as office space to other tenants.

The storage complex will include 360 enclosed units, including 100-square-foot and 200-square-foot spaces, climate-controlled storage, and indoor recreational vehicle storage. It also will have 40 outdoor RV and boat parking spaces, he says.

Layton says Storage Solutions chose to develop in the Nine Mile Falls community, about 15 miles northwest of downtown Spokane, because, “We feel like it’s an up-and-coming, well-placed area.”

Layton says the company also liked the design of neighboring businesses, including the adjacent Rosauers Supermarkets Inc. grocery store.

Construction on the storage facility is expected to be completed by mid-March. Storage Solutions Spokane LLC, an affiliate, is the contractor on the project, and Russell C. Page Architects PS, of Spokane, designed it.

The additional retail development on the property will be built to suit once tenants are secured, he says, adding that it will either be one L-shaped building or two separate structures.

“We’re hoping through the winter period to secure some tenants, and then that allows us to move forward,” says Layton.

He speculates that potential tenants could include a dental clinic, a sandwich shop, a pizza restaurant, and a coffee stand, he says.

If tenants can be secured, construction on the retail development will begin in March and be completed in another six months.

Storage Solutions also has self-storage facilities in Spokane, Liberty Lake, and Deer Park.