Payne Properties & Development, of Spokane, says it plans to build a roughly $2.3 million retail center at a former Wheel Sport Inc. location on Grand Boulevard on Spokanes South Hill.


The project, to be called Grand Corner, is expected to include two buildings with a combined 13,500 square feet of floor space, says Al Payne, who owns the development company.


It will be located at 3713 S. Grand Blvd., a few blocks south of the Manito shopping district.


Wheel Sport, a longtime Spokane bike shop and winter sports outlet with three locations here, moved from that location to a building in the Lincoln Heights shopping district earlier this year after a fire damaged its building last November.


That 2,000-square-foot structure will be demolished before construction of Grand Corner starts in early March, Payne says. The project is expected to include a total of eight retail spaces, but that number could vary depending on tenant demand, he says. Payne Properties & Development will build a shell, and tenant improvements will be made after tenants sign leases.


Payne says three tenants have signed letters of intent to occupy space in the retail center, but he declines for now to disclose their names.


Bernardo-Wills Architects PC, of Spokane, designed the project, he says. Payne Properties & Development expects to select a contractor this fall. The project likely will take about six months to complete.


Contact Emily Brandler at (509) 344-1265 or via e-mail at emilyb@spokanejournal.com.