Moscow, Idaho-based Columbia Tractor Inc. says it has bought the West Plains building and land formerly occupied by the Bonanza Ford Inc. dealership, and plans to move its Spokane-area John Deere dealership there and broaden the dealership's line of agricultural equipment.

Columbia Tractor will move in July or August into the 17,900-square-foot building at 10010 S. State Route 904, just south of Interstate 90 at the Four Lakes-Cheney interchange, says Jason Jones, manager of the store here.

The company paid $1.6 million for the building and 4.5 acres of land, county records show.

The Columbia Tractor outlet here currently is located in smaller, leased quarters at 4009 E. Francis, in the north Hillyard area, Jones says. He says the dealership plans to expand its John Deere line to include large farming tractors and combines.

The outlet here currently is a "turf and ag" dealership that specializes in compact tractors and commercial and residential mowing equipment, he says.

The West Plains location will be more convenient for agricultural customers, Jones says.

"It's on the freeway and closer to the farming community," he says.

The Francis Avenue dealership has 14 employees, and the company expects to hire an additional two employees when it moves to the West Plains site, Jones says.

Columbia Tractor, which has been serving farmers on the Palouse since 1946, entered the Spokane market in 2005, when it bought out the former Mack's Outdoor dealership at the Francis Avenue location.

In addition to its dealership here and its flagship store in Moscow, Columbia Tractor operates a store in Tekoa, Wash., and two stores in North Idaho, one in Bonners Ferry and the other in Ponderay.

Bonanza Ford had operated its dealership at the West Plains site from 2001 to late 2008, when it closed its doors.

Cheney real estate investor James Parker, doing business as Bonanza Building LLC, bought the property last year from AmericanWest Bank for $1 million.

Commercial real estate agent James S. Black III, of Spokane-based NAI Black, handled the sale.