Two retail tenants are lined up so far for ground-floor commercial space in the Matilda building that’s nearing completion in the University District. 

Also, many of the upscale apartments in the upper three stories are leased or reserved, say the leasing agents for the 88,000-square-foot project at 1028 N. Hamilton.

On the main floor, a Bozeman, Mont.-based restaurateur will open a second Clark’s Fork restaurant, and Tacoma-based Forza Coffee Co. will have a third Spokane-area coffee shop, says Greg Byrd, associate broker at Byrd Real Estate Group LLC, of Spokane.

Clark’s Fork will occupy 3,600 square feet of space, Byrd says.

Jeff Riggs, founder of Clark’s Fork, says he plans to open in the Matilda building in early 2017.

Riggs says the restaurant likely will have 25 to 30 employees.

The restaurant will specialize in healthy food at reasonable prices, he says, adding that his goal is to offer a typical lunch meal for around $10.

“We will target healthy food that’s affordable to everybody,” Riggs says.

The menu will be similar to the Bozeman restaurant menu, which includes wraps, deli sandwiches, and hot sandwiches, he says.

The menu also will include a fresh salad bar, homemade soups, and a variety of breakfast items.

The restaurant also will focus on using locally sourced products in its offerings, he says.

Forza Coffee will occupy a similar amount of main-floor space, Byrd says.

Franchise owners Steve and Cassandra Elloway also own the Forza shop at 325 S. Sullivan Road, in Spokane Valley.

Teylor Mulligan, manager at the Spokane Valley Forza, says the Matilda Building shop likely will open around the first of the year with 25 employees.

Forza offers specialty coffee beverages and espresso, soft drinks, and its proprietary-roast coffee beans. Its food menu includes breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, and salads.

Mulligan says the owners also plan to obtain a beer and wine license for the Matilda shop.

Byrd says he’s still looking to fill 10,000 square feet of main-floor commercial space. He says he’s talking to multiple prospective tenants he declines to identify.

The Matilda has 57 upscale apartment units with one to three bedrooms. The units ranging in size from 700 to 1,300 square feet of living space.

Kimberlee Sample, vice president of multifamily operations for Spokane-based NAI Black, says residents have started moving into the apartments.

“We’re leasing rapidly,” Sample says.Monthly leases for apartments at the Matilda range from $935 to $2,350, she says.

Sample says a few units will be available for short-term rentals targeting people traveling to Spokane to attend Gonzaga University basketball games.

“Were testing the market for short-term use. We want to make sure it works financially,” Sample says. “We’re also leasing some units to Wolff Corporate Housing.”

Wolff Corporate Housing is a Spokane affiliate of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based The Wolff Co., which specializes in developing and managing multifamily housing.

KD Hull Corp., of Spokane, is developing the $13.5 million Matilda project for an ownership group that includes former Gonzaga and professional basketball standout John Stockton.

Divcon Inc., of Spokane Valley, is the contractor on the project, and Ron Joseph Architecture, of Spokane, designed it.