A membership-based big-box retailer appears to be planning a new store and gas station in Liberty Lake, a commercial building permit pre-application on file with the city shows. 

While the Journal has yet to confirm the retailer's name, many of the envisioned store's traits are consistent with a Costco Wholesale Corp. outlet.

The 160,000-square-foot warehouse and a 24-vehicle gas station have been proposed on 39.09 acres of land owned by Centennial Properties LLC, a subsidiary of Cowles Co., the records show. 

A specific address isn't listed on the pre-application, but Spokane County Assessor's Office records show that Centennial Properties owns seven connected land parcels totaling 39.09 acres—the exact size of the proposed site on the pre-application—just west of Kramer Parkway, south of Interstate-90, and north of Country Vista Drive.

On the north side of the freeway, Centennial Properties-Telido LLC, an affiliate of Centennial Properties, owns two properties totaling over 90 acres to the west of Kramer Parkway.

Doug Yost, vice president of acquisitions and development for Cowles Real Estate, declines to comment. 

Transportation Solutions Inc., a Woodinville, Washington-based consulting firm, has submitted the pre-application. Jeff Hee, senior transportation engineer with Transportation Solutions, says he doesn’t know which retailer is planning the warehouse and gas station in Liberty Lake. According to information on the company's website, however, Transportation Solutions has conducted transportation analyses for several Costco warehouses in Washington state. The firm has routinely assisted Costco with identifying parking and circulation improvements at its properties.

Representatives of Costco haven't responded to the Journal’s request for comment regarding a potential Liberty Lake location.

The popular Issaquah, Washington-based retailer currently operates three stores with gas stations in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area: at 5601 E. Sprague, in Spokane Valley; at 12020 N. Newport Highway, north of Spokane; and at 355 E. Neider, in Coeur d'Alene. 

The north Costco, the most recent to be constructed, opened in 2018 with about 167,000 square feet of floor space and 24 fueling stations.

Shelly Enderud, city administrator for the city of Post Falls, says she heard from an employee at the Coeur d’Alene Costco store that the retail giant has secured a deal to bring a store to Liberty Lake.

In December 2022, Enderud told the Journal that Costco was looking for a site in the Post Falls or Liberty Lake area.

Post Falls, however, doesn’t appear to be in the race for a Costco at this time. The Pointe at Post Falls was Costco’s preferred site, Enderud says, but the development area has a business association and Walmart and Cabela’s won’t approve Costco locating at the site. Costco also looked south of I-90 at a site near the Washington-Idaho border, but development of that property likely will be a few years out, Enderud says.

Lance Beck, president and CEO of Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, says he's familiar with the project but declines to disclose the name of the retailer. He says, however, the site of the proposed Liberty Lake store and gas station will be along I-90, near the newly constructed Kramer Parkway overpass. 

Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas says she is aware of discussions about the project, but she declines to disclose the identity of the potential big-box retailer. She adds, however, that there is open space along I-90 next to Kramer Parkway for potential development.

Despite not naming the retailer, Beck says "things are moving along nicely" regarding the proposed project.

He adds that the potential new retailer would bring the city tremendous sales-tax generation.

"This project has the potential to give Liberty Lake a lift," Beck says.

Representatives of Sam’s Club, another membership-based big-box retailer known to have affiliated gas stations located at the sites of its warehouse stores, also haven’t responded to the Journal’s request for comment about a potential Liberty Lake location.

Sam’s Club currently doesn’t have any locations in Washington state.