An architectural firm here has submitted plans to the city of Spokane for a proposed seven-story, $12 million mixed-use building that would be located on the lower South Hill. 

Armando Hurtado, co-owner of Hurtado|Hissong Design Group LLC, says funding for the project is being arranged by a local HDG business associate who has financial connections in China. Currently there is not a developer assigned to the project.

It’s an EB-5 project, Hurtado says. Through the EB-5 program, a foreign investor can invest in a limited partnership that develops a large project for the prospect of securing U.S. citizenship.

A pre-development application with the city of Spokane shows the project being planned for a vacant site at 2020 W. Seventh, which is uphill and east of the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Inland Empire Way and visible along the south side of Interstate 90. 

Plans call for construction to start in six to seven months with the building complete 12 to 16 months after that, Hurtado says.

HDG designs call for an 11,800-square-foot underground parking garage. The main level also would have 11,800 square feet of commercial retail space. A first-floor food court with restaurant fare intended to be ethnic in flavor would be one highlight, Hurtado says. As envisioned, each restaurant would have the ability to prepare dishes in spaces ranging from 300 to 1,000 square feet, he says. Other retail and commercial spaces also are designated for the first floor.