Inland Northwest Bank, of Spokane, plans to build a freestanding branch in Post Falls that likely will replace the grocery-store branch the bank has operated there since 1996.


Spokane-based Madsen Mitchell Evenson & Conrad PLLC is finishing design work on the project, which could go out for construction bids by the end of this month, says Inland Northwest Bank President and CEO Randy Fewel.


The entire project, including acquisition of land, is expected to cost about $1 million, Fewel says.


The new branch will be located at 1729 E. Seltice, which is on the south side of Interstate 90 next to a Taco Bell restaurant. The bank will be visible from the freeway, Fewel says. Inland Northwest Banks current branch in Post Falls is located inside Super 1 Foods, at 805 E. Polston, north of I-90.


If construction starts on the new branch in March, as anticipated, it could open by September, Fewel says.


At about 3,000 square feet, the new branch will have probably three times the size or better of the banks current Post Falls branch, he says. In addition, the new branch will have four drive-through banking lanes, while the Super 1 branch doesnt have drive-through banking, he says.


Post Falls is a rapidly growing area, and we want to capture our fair share of that growth, and we feel that to do that we need a freestanding facility with drive-through lanes, he says.


Fewel says hes about 90 percent sure that the bank will close its branch within the Super 1 there when it opens its new branch on Seltice, but that could change depending on further growth in the banks business in Post Falls.


If the Super 1 branchs business is rolled into that of the new branch, Inland Northwest Bank wont hire any additional employees in Post Falls, he says.


Fewel adds that the bank hired a site-selection consultant to help it identify sites in Spokane and Kootenai counties that offered high visibility, favorable demographics, and growth potential, and that in both counties, this particular site on Seltice was their No. 1 choice.