The developers of a planned senior- and low-income multifamily housing complex adjacent to the Clare House Apartments on Spokane's South Hill have applied for a building permit for the first phase of that project, a $6.5 million, 61-unit senior housing complex.

A partnership that includes private developer Whitewater Creek Inc., of Hayden, Idaho, and the nonprofit Spokane Housing Ventures has sought the permit for what it is calling Clare View Seniors, a senior apartment complex at the Clare House campus at 4827 S. Palouse Highway.

The new senior housing would be located on an about 10-acre site just northwest of the Clare House Senior Apartments. The developers have sought to buy both the Clare House Senior Apartments and the adjacent vacant land as a unit from Spokane developer Harry Green, to preserve it as a low-income housing development. The developers couldn't be reached for comment on whether they have achieved that.

The Washington state Housing Financing Commission had agreed to issue about $9 million in tax-exempt bonds for the project in December, but the title for the property couldn't be cleared in time for the bonds to be issued, says Sharonn Meeks, senior finance associate with the commission. Meeks says it appears that the title will be cleared and the bond-issue process likely will resume in May.

A permit for the proposed project currently is under review by the city of Spokane building and planning department. The site plans for the project were completed by Zeck Butler Architects PS, of Spokane. The project owner is listed as Clare View Seniors LLC, and Whitewater Creek is listed as the project contractor.

The plans say the senior housing project is to involve six buildings, including a large three-story apartment building, four smaller, single-story buildings, and a community and support-services center.

The senior apartments in the largest, 45,600-square-foot, building are slated to be one or two-bedroom units, including a number of handicapped accessible units. That three-story building would have 40 units, while the remaining 21 units would be divided among four smaller structures, where two-bedroom units would be built. The plan also includes about 90 parking stalls for the senior complex.

The community and support-services building would be about 6,000 square feet in size, and would include a community area, a library and reading room, a computer lab, a recreation room, an assembly room, and space for other services, such as tax assistance, Social Security or Medicare assistance, and life-skills counseling, the plans show. The building could accommodate groups of up to 225 people.

The partners plan to erect a multifamily complex at the site later. Preliminary site plans indicate that project would include six, 20-unit apartment buildings that would include at least some low-income units, as well as an additional community building and outdoor play area.

Spokane businessman Harry Green, who developed the Clare House retirement complex, originally had planned a multiphase, 418-unit campus on 18 acres along the Palouse Highway, just southeast of the Southgate commercial district. The first phase of that project included construction of the Clare House apartment building, as well as a community building and other amenities. The second phase of work included construction of about two dozen bungalow units.

More than a year ago, the properties fell into foreclosure. Several times, scheduled trustees' sales that would have involved pieces of the development separately were stayed by court actions as Green sought to sell them as a whole to preserve their value. Trustees' sales were blocked again when Clare House LLC and Clare House Bungalow Homes LLC filed for bankruptcy last August.