Students, commuters, and diners who travel the Hamilton Street corridor just east of Gonzaga University no doubt are noticing big changes near campus.

The changes include a new take on an old Italian restaurant, a multitenant restaurant center under construction at the former site of a popular pizza establishment, and a new name and makeover at the site of a longtime sports lounge and restaurant.

Meantime, one displaced business plans to reopen outside of the Hamilton corridor, and another is looking for options to reopen both inside and outside of the corridor.

In a newly completed changeover, Geno's restaurant opened last week at the northeast corner of Hamilton and Sinto Avenue, taking its name from Geno's Fabulous Pizza & Italian Dinners, a longtime restaurant that had been located at that location.

William Webster, Geno's new owner, says his aim is for the restaurant to be comfortable for people of all ages.

"We hope to see a lot of college kids and older adults," Webster says. "This is a place where students can come with their parents."

It's not the same old Geno's, though, he says.

The dining area is decorated in an old-time circus theme, replete with wall coverings made from tent fabric and painted aluminum skins taken from carnival travel trailers.

In the new lounge, a bar is made from old grand piano parts with accents that add to a classic arcade look.

The 2,400-square-foot restaurant seats up to 89 people and has a new outdoor-dining area that will seat 20 more in the spring and summer.

Webster, a chef who also owns Zola, a restaurant and nightclub downtown, says Geno's will feature his own take on Italian food, with influences from East Coast restaurants.

He says portion sizes won't be as large as in some Italian restaurants here, but he's confident that his recipes will please customers.

"This is what I do," he says.

Bear Industries LLC, of Spokane, was the contractor on the remodel project, and artist Dan Spalding worked with Webster on the interior design.

Perhaps the current commercial project most visible from Hamilton involves Clementine Square, a $1 million multitenant center under construction at 829 E. Boone, the former site of David's Pizza.

LLC&M LLC, of Spokane, is developing the 8,400-square-foot structure at the northwest corner of Boone and Hamilton.

Greg Byrd, of Spokane, manages that company. Byrd, who also is an associate broker at Byrd Real Estate Group LLC, says he's lined up several tenants for the project, which should be completed late this year.

"A well-located project creates interest," he says. "I'm dealing with people looking to be down there. "

One tenant will be Noodleworks, a restaurant that will lease 1,900 square feet of space where it will specialize in noodle dishes, wraps, and Asian cuisine, Byrd says.

Bruchi's Cheesesteaks & Subs will occupy 1,900 square feet of space. Bruchi's, which is headquartered in Medical Lake, has 14 outlets in the Inland Northwest, including two in Spokane, two in Spokane Valley, and one in Medical Lake.

Byrd says he's also completing lease negotiations for 1,600 square feet of floor space with a pizza restaurant he declines to name.

A frozen yogurt outlet will lease 2,000 square feet of floor space, and Byrd says he's talking with four or five prospective tenants vying to lease the remaining 940 square feet of floor space.

Byrd says he expects Clementine Square and other new businesses along Hamilton will attract more students and pedestrian traffic to the businesses in that area.

Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the Clementine Square project, and Wolfe Architectural Group PS, of Spokane, designed it.

Another changeover on Hamilton is a new bar planned at the longtime site of The Bulldog, a sports lounge and restaurant that was home to Gonzaga's Kennel Club.

The 65-year-old establishment closed Aug. 31 due to a contentious change in ownership of the 3,000-square foot building that housed it at 1305 N. Hamilton. The new owner, Mary Livingston, couldn't be reached for comment.

The windows there are blocked with large signs saying "coming soon," and state records indicate the new establishment likely will be called Zagz.

Gone is the iconic Bulldog sign with its GU Mascot. However, a new mural which includes recognizable athletes and celebrities, ranging from Spokane native crooner Bing Crosby to basketball standout Courtney Vandersloot, is in progress on the south exterior wall of the building.

David Trefry, who heads The Bulldog's ownership group, says the group retained ownership of the name and hopes to reopen The Bulldog at a new location, possibly in the Hamilton corridor.

"It's our goal to stay somewhere near that location, but it's been extremely difficult," Trefry says.

He says he can only scratch his head as to why the business changes are occurring simultaneously along Hamilton.

"It's not the best place on the planet to do business," Trefry says. While a high amount of traffic flows through the area, he says, "There's a lack of turn lanes and parking."

He contends restaurants and bars are making mostly low single-digit profits, and, "When there's 4 percent inflation, that's not much of an investment, yet landlords don't think there's a recession going on."

Other commercial developments outside of the Hamilton corridor have inquired about relocating The Bulldog, Trefry says. "Kendall Yards, River Walk, and other places are calling us," he claims.

Meantime, David's Pizza won't be returning to Hamilton where it had been located for 14 years, says Mark Starr, its owner.

Starr says the restaurant needs more space for community events and its catering service than he was offered to stay in the new Clementine Square. Instead, he says he plans to lease 5,000 square feet of floor space in a building about a mile west of the former location, near the Spokane Veteran's Memorial Arena.

Starr says he declines to disclose the specific location until the restaurant is closer to opening. The familiar David's Pizza sign, however, is partly visible facing Mallon Avenue on top of a building on the 800 block of North Post Street.

Gonzaga students and staff made up a considerable part of David's Pizza's customer base, but Starr says he believes the new location will see enough steady business outside of the school year to make the move profitable.