The secret must be out about Liberty Lake.

The lake town on Washington's side of the state line it shares with Idaho appears to be bolstering its business community, particularly along Interstate 90.

“The growth overall in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene has made it so the region itself is super attractive,” says Steven Daines, owner of Daines Capital Commercial Real Estate, a Spokane-based brokerage firm that represents multiple properties in and around Liberty Lake.

In 2024 alone, numerous national companies have set up shop or expressed interest in expanding in the city of about 14,000 residents that's situated at the epicenter of the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area.

In addition to its central location, the availability of freeway-facing land, a growing population, and the city’s business-friendly development practices have all attributed to Liberty Lake’s recent growth, observers say.

National companies

The Journal reported in June that a membership-based big-box retailer is planning a potential 160,000-square-foot warehouse and 24-pump gas station in Liberty Lake.

The identity of the retailer eyeing an expansion to Liberty Lake has not yet been confirmed, but many of the envisioned store’s traits are consistent with that of a Costco Wholesale Corp.

Should the presumed Costco development occur, it is expected to take place on a 39-acre parcel of land just west of Kramer Parkway, along the south side of I-90, and north of Country Vista Drive.

Earlier this month, the Journal also broke news that a Topgolf venue is being considered at a 27-acre undeveloped site along the south side of the freeway, on the other side of Kramer Parkway from the Costco site and north of Country Vista Drive.

Dallas-based Topgolf International Inc. has about 100 entertainment complexes worldwide. As proposed, the Liberty Lake venue would have over 70 climatized driving-range bays and would generate over $20 million in tax revenue, 250 jobs, and about 250,000 visits annually.

“For Costco, both the Valley and the Coeur d’Alene stores are doing so well that it was natural for them to come to Liberty Lake,” says Daines. “They tried very hard to go to Post Falls, but they could not get the deal done with the landlord there.”

Companies like Topgolf seek out locations that are visible from the freeway, according to both Daines and Lance Beck, president and CEO of Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

“Part of that model is to have incredibly highly-visible site locations with easy transportation access,” says Beck. “When you look at those site designs and how they operate, those become living billboards without having to actually put up the billboard.”

That highly-visible land is becoming scarce in the more densely-populated areas along I-90 in Spokane County, particularly through Spokane and Spokane Valley, Beck says.

“That’s something we don’t have much of within the entire Spokane County as a region,” says Beck. “(Liberty Lake) is kind of our last Holy Grail of that land until you get quite a ways out west.”

While household names like Costco and Topgolf garner more attention, a few other national brands have entered or may enter the Liberty Lake market.

Earlier this year, Bretz RV Washington LLC, which does business as Bretz RV & Marine, opened a new dealership along the south side of the freeway.

The Missoula, Montana-based dealership now occupies a nearly 40-acre parcel of land at 24901 E. Appleway, not far from the Idaho border.

Just west of the Bretz dealership, Hörmann Group North America Inc., through its affiliate Hörmann Northwest Door LLC, is relocating its Inland Northwest sales center to Liberty Lake from Spokane Valley.

Part of Germany-based Hörmann Group, the global garage door manufacturer and distributor is in the process of building a 35,000-square-foot facility at 2526 N. Fairway Lane on a 5-acre site along the south side of I-90, north of Appleway Avenue. The sales center is expected to be completed in summer 2025.

Also between I-90 and Appleway, a proposed 100-room hotel and 65,000-square-foot warehouse and office building are being considered at 22421 E. Appleway, according to records on file with the city.

Spokane Valley-based Hospitality Associates Inc. appears to be behind the proposed development, but a representative of the hotel management and development company has not yet responded to the Journal’s request for an interview.

Preliminary site plans shown on the Daines Capital website, however, show a 5-story Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel located next to a multitenant office and warehouse space. The multitenant building plans show that 20,000 square feet of space would be occupied by Hospitality Associates, while four to eight—depending how they’re divided—other tenant spaces would be available for lease.

Daines declines to comment on the hotel and multitenant project.

Reasons for growth

The recent economic growth in the area can also be contributed to the city’s willingness to make zoning or covenant changes to allow for specific types of development in mixed-use corridors, Beck contends.

“It’s been intentional to drive development in these zones where we’ve had this commercial buildable land, and it goes all the way back to the work to get the Kramer Parkway overpass in place, which allowed for connectivity on a secondary route to both north and south Liberty Lake,” Beck explains.

The Kramer Parkway overpass opened last year, and Beck says it helps alleviate traffic congestion throughout Liberty Lake.

Doug Yost, vice president of acquisitions and development for Cowles Real Estate, says the Liberty Lake jurisdiction is easy to work with, for example, allowing for traffic mitigation to be known ahead of time.

“You don’t have as many wild cards on developments,” Yost says.

Cowles Real Estate, through its subsidiary Centennial Properties Inc., owns numerous land parcels in Liberty Lake, including the parcels expected to make up the potential site of the big-box retailer presumed to be Costco. Yost previously declined to comment on the possible big-box retailer project and hasn't confirmed the identity of the company.

Community benefits

The continued growth in Liberty Lake is expected to benefit the community at large.

“In the short term, everyone who develops out there has to pay an impact fee and that goes right back into the community to improve roads and systems,” says Daines. “In the long term, it just brings more people and more business.”

Yost says the recent growth, in addition to generating more tax revenue, can also have a ripple effect with other companies.

“A lot of times, these companies will follow each other around to other places, which spurs other growth,” Yost says.

Another potential benefit of the economic growth in Liberty Lake, Beck notes, has to do with the advocation for expanding the freeway to three lanes from the Barker Road interchange to at least Liberty Lake, and possibly to the Idaho border.

“(Washington State Department of Transportation) has spoken publicly on occasion to the challenge that Liberty Lake and Spokane Valley markets face before we’ll see lane expansion on I-90,” Beck says. “We need to use up some of that capacity that is available on Country Vista.”

Building Ridgeline High School just south of the freeway, along with the potential developments of Costco and Top Golf, could go a long way for advocates arguing in favor of freeway expansion in that area, Beck says.

Part of Central Valley School District, Ridgeline High School opened in 2021 at 20150 E. Country Vista Drive on a nearly 70-acre parcel of land.

Post Falls

Liberty Lake isn’t the only Inland Northwest border town expected to continue attracting companies, Daines predicts.

On the other side of the state line, Post Falls is no stranger to bringing in big-name businesses—it already has Cabela’s and Walmart stores located near the border, and as Daines mentioned, had received interest from Costco about a new location.

While Liberty Lake is enjoying more of the recent growth in its business community, there are reasons for optimism in Post Falls as well, Daines says.

Post Falls shares similar traits that Liberty Lake has, including being located between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene and having ample freeway-facing land available.

“There’s great potential on both sides to continue,” Daines says. 

He notes that there are relatively similar amounts of acreage available in the neighboring cities.

“There’s a couple big pieces in Post Falls that are single owners,” says Daines. “You’d either have to do the whole project or that owner has to be willing to split it up.”

Part of why Liberty Lake didn’t grow sooner is because some of the available land along the freeway hadn’t been for sale for a long time, Daines adds. There are more owners willing to develop their properties now.

“I think we will see that happen in Post Falls someday,” Daines says.