Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc. has begun construction of two projects here for Seattle-based Diamond Parking Service, one of them a storage complex expansion on the West Plains and the other a parking lot downtown, worth a total of $3.8 million. 

Lucas Holmquist, vice president of construction services for Baker Construction, is serving as manager for both projects.  

Holmquist says the largest project is a $3.5 million expansion of the company’s Diamond Self Storage facility at 5602 W. Sunset Highway, started in June.

Last October, Diamond announced it would be closing its Park ‘N Jet parking operation at the site and converting the 1,000 parking slots into additional storage units.

Holmquist says plans for the site include construction of eight new storage buildings totaling 100,000 square feet of space. 

“None of the storage buildings will include heating or cooling systems,” Holmquist says. “Some units will be larger and include a pass-through design so that renters can drive motor homes or RVs in one side and out the other.”

Holmquist says the eight new buildings will house 460 storage units, ranging in size from 30 to 560 square feet.

“We obtained separate permits for each building so that as the company gains occupancy for each, we’ll have them available for renters,” he says. “I would expect we’ll have the first three buildings ready as early as next month, although the full project won’t be completed until mid-December.”

In addition to the eight storage buildings, an 800-square-foot office building is planned there, Holmquist says.

“We’ve already begun construction of the office building and expect it to be completed by November,” he says.

The second project Baker Construction is working on for Diamond Parking Service is the development of a new parking lot on the southwest corner of Second and Washington, where the Mayfair Café once stood. 

Holmquist says construction on the $250,000 project started earlier this month and is expected to be finished by the end of September.

“We had hoped to start the project last year, but were delayed in the permitting process,” he says. 

According to Holmquist, the project also was somewhat challenging due to the need to remove rock, re-construct nearby sidewalks, and complete work on storm water treatment.  

“A lot of it involved removing rock and filling in old basements and vaults beneath the street’s surface,” Holmequist says. “We also needed to create retaining walls around the site that would eliminate car headlight glare to traffic on the street.”