Larry H. Miller Dealerships plans to build new automotive sales and services facilities for its existing Toyota and Honda dealerships in downtown Spokane before the end of 2016, as two big parts of the $20 million in projects it has underway in the city’s core. 

 “It’s part of a master plan that we believe will revitalize and energize that part of downtown Spokane,” says Brad Holmes, construction director for Miller Family Real Estate, the Salt Lake City-based company that manages properties for the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, which includes 80 different businesses.

Larry H. Miller Dealerships owns and operates Larry H. Miller Honda, Larry H. Miller Lexus, and Larry H. Miller Toyota Scion downtown. The company also owns Larry H. Miller Hyundai dealership, at 8801 E. Sprague in Spokane Valley.

As part of Larry H. Miller Dealerships’ master plan, the company just finished construction of its new Lexus facility at 1030 W. Third, and construction work recently started for the Toyota Scion dealership.

Miller Family Real Estate submitted a building permit application to the city of Spokane in September that calls for the Toyota Scion dealership at 1208 W. Third to be moved to 1125 W. Second, the site where the Honda dealership until recently had been operating. The Honda dealership and Toyota Scion are trading places, says company spokeswoman Sara Waldman. She says the Honda dealership currently is operating in a temporary facility across the street from its future home.

The new two-story Toyota dealership is projected to cost $6 million. Between sales and offices, storage for parts, and service bays, the building will include 50,000 square feet of floor space, the permit application says.

John Mahoney Architect LLC, of Tempe, Ariz., is the project architect, and Whipple Consulting Engineers, of Spokane Valley, is the project engineer, the application says.

Construction won’t start on the new Honda dealership until after the Toyota project has been completed. 

Meanwhile, the company recently completed construction of Larry H. Miller Lexus, at 1030 W. Third. An open house is slated for Oct. 27 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Waldman says.

Holmes says the company owns 6½ acres of land and leases another 1 ½ acres of property downtown for its current dealerships. “In the three years I’ve been involved with the project, the consensus was everyone wanted to stay downtown,” he says.

He says Larry H. Miller explored other areas of Spokane as well as Spokane Valley before deciding on the revitalization of the existing properties. Holmes says the new Toyota dealership is expected to take eight months to build, provided crews have ideal weather conditions through the winter.

Waldman says the company, which has been doing business in Spokane since 2009,  may acquire more property for additional dealerships in the future. 

“We’re always looking to grow,” Waldman says. “Right now, the industry is doing very well. Not only are we committed to growing the business and improving customer service by investing in facilities, but we’re also committed to being a good citizen of the Spokane community and putting profits back into the area.”

Waldman says Larry H. Miller dealerships in the Spokane area employ a total of 259 people, and she says that number will increase when the new Toyota and Honda dealerships are built.

Larry H. Miller Dealerships say its Toyota Scion dealership here sold 954 new cars in 2014, up slightly from 940 the previous year. Meanwhile, its Honda dealership’s sales rose from 574 in 2013 to 614 last year, while Lexus sales went from 326 in 2013 to 336 in 2014. The Hyundai dealership experienced a decline, from 480 in 2013 to 448 last year.