The city of Coeur d'Alene has issued a permit to a Liberty Lake developer to start site work on the $6.2 million first phase of a planned 203-unit apartment complex northwest of the city center. The project owner, Riverview Venture LLC, also has submitted building permit applications, currently under review, for the first five structures in the planned complex.

Riverview Venture is headed by Kevin Rudeen, of Liberty Lake, who also heads Rudeen Development LLC, which is listed as the contractor on the project. Storhaug Engineering Inc., of Spokane, is the project engineer, and Milbrandt Architects Inc., of Bellevue, designed it. Rudeen couldn't be reached for comment.

The project site is located at 3901 W. Seltice, about midway between Huetter and Atlas roads. The complex would be just south of Interstate 90, and a four-acre strip of vacant land that's zoned for commercial use would be between Seltice Way and the complex, plans show.

The city hasn't calculated a value for the project yet. For comparison, though, in Spokane County, the 216-unit second phase of the Granite Pointe apartment complex planned in Spokane Valley is valued at $20.7 million, and a 192-unit phase of Eagle Pointe Apartments built recently in Cheney was valued at $17 million.

The initial phase of the Coeur d'Alene project would include three 29,000-square-foot, 24-unit buildings, and two 20,000-square-foot, 16-unit buildings, each of which would have four stories.

The total project would have 12 apartment buildings with 16 to 24 units each, a 3,600-square-foot recreation facility, and parking for 527 vehicles, plans show.

Rudeen Development's Web site estimates the project would take three years to complete. It says the apartments will have from one to three bedrooms.

Other Rudeen Development projects in the Inland Northwest include the 200-unit Bentley Apartments complex on the West Plains, and the 30-unit Brianwood apartment complex in Spokane Valley.