The city of Spokane hearing examiner held a public hearing in mid-March on a shoreline conditional-use permit for L.B. Stone Properties Group's proposed Falls Tower condominium development.

A decision on the hearing, which will consider the site's proximity to the Spokane River for health and environmental risks, was expected to be handed down quickly, says Donna deBit, senior planner at the city of Spokane's planning and development services department.

"Nothing of concern was brought up at the meeting," notes deBit, adding that if approved, the next step will be to send application information to the Washington state Department of Ecology for approval.

If the environmental permits are approved, building permit applications can then be submitted to the city of Spokane, followed by sewer and infrastructure work that's likely to begin this year, as previously reported in the Journal.

Architectural plans for the long-awaited Falls Tower project propose a 12-story, 38-unit condo tower and one level of underground parking on 2.3 acres of riverview property, at 600 N. Lincoln in Spokane's North Bank neighborhood.

East of the tower, development plans show a pedestrian plaza and a Spokane Falls overlook area. Design revisions for the project also show a future parking lot to be developed north of the residential tower and extra space to erect a 12,000-square-foot building for future commercial uses, on the northeast corner of the property.

Wes Southwick, senior project engineer for L.B. Stone, previously told the Journal that the development company scaled back the size of the building, including the number of floors, and will have about 75% fewer residential units compared to original design plans that were first proposed in 2017.

A construction value for the project isn't listed on permit information.

In a January interview with the Journal, Southwick said the development company is confident that the latest design revisions are the best version of the project now.  

Walker Construction Inc., of Spokane, is providing pre-construction work on the Falls Tower, and Collins Woerman Co., of Seattle, is designing it.

Lawrence B. Stone Properties LLC is a commercial development company owned by Spokane developer Lawrence Stone, who also is president and CEO of Scafco Corp. and The Falls LLC, the entity that purchased the Falls Tower site for $3.2 million in late 2010.