The Spokane office of the FBI plans to move into the North Coast Life Building on the west edge of downtown, likely by the end of the year.

General Services Administration spokeswoman Chelsea Turnbull says the agency has negotiated a lease for 9,500 square feet of space on the second floor of the three-story building at 1116 W. Riverside, two blocks west of the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse.

The federal law enforcement agency's Spokane office currently is located on the second floor of the Rock Pointe Tower, at 316 W. Boone.

Turnbull says the FBI's lease at Rock Pointe will expire this year, and a new lease was put out to competitive bid. The GSA says the FBI will occupy the new space for 10 years at a rate of $308,000 a year, with an additional five-year option.

About 25 FBI employees work in the Spokane office, Turnbull says.

"There will be no change in the number of employees," she says. "They're just moving the existing staff."

Meantime, the city of Spokane has issued a building permit to Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, for a demolition and partial rebuild project in the space. Baker couldn't be reached for comment.

Plans on file with the city show the project will include removing interior walls, fixtures, carpeting, and a door frame, and enclosing some exposed stairwells with new walls. The Spokane office of Alaska-based USKH Inc. designed the project.

Turnbull says the space will have an Energy Star rating to ensure it meets energy-efficiency standards the GSA now requires.

Other tenants in the building include Spokane-based North Coast Life Insurance Co. and the Spokane operations of the Washington state Attorney General's Office.