Longtime Spokane dentist Dr. Stan Sargent says he and podiatrist Dr. Borys Markewych plan to develop and move their practices into an 8,600-square-foot medical building near the intersection of Grand Boulevard and 37th Avenue.

The structure will be just east of, and will share common design features with, a 13,000-square-foot retail center—called Grand Corner—at the southeast corner of that intersection that Payne Properties & Development developed a couple of years ago and that includes a Starbucks and a Snap Fitness outlet, Sargent says.

Counting parking and landscaping, the project will take up the entire east half of the block bounded by Grand, Hatch Street, and 37th and 38th avenues, he says. The cost of constructing the building is expected to be around $1.4 million, and Sargent estimates that he and Markewych will spend another $700,000 or so, combined, furnishing and equipping their offices. City building permit application documents put the overall project value slightly higher, at about $2.3 million.

Sargent and Markewych plan to develop the building through a company they've formed, Grand Health LLC, which they own equally, and each practice will occupy about half of the building, he says.

Sargent says it's unclear when construction will get under way, but that it's expected to take a little over nine months to complete. OMS Inc., of Spokane, is the architect on the project, and Leone & Keeble Inc., of Spokane, will be the general contractor, he says. RiverBank, of Spokane, is providing financing for the project, with support from the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 guaranteed loan program, he says.

The building will have 8,600 square feet of floor space on its main floor, but also will have a full basement, Sargent says. It will be located in about the middle of the east half of that block, with parking both at the north and south ends of the building, he says. The project will include a total of 48 parking spaces.

Grand Health will sublease the property from Payne Properties, which has a master lease for virtually the entire site, Sargent says.

Sargent has been practicing dentistry here since 1979 and currently leases about 1,500 square feet of space at 1403 S. Grand, where he has four patient procedure rooms and employs two hygienists, two assistants, an office manager, and a receptionist. At the new location, he'll have six patient procedure rooms, with space for one more, and he expects to add at least a couple of employees after he moves to the new location, he says.

He plans to install all new equipment there, and says he will change the name of his practice, which he currently operates under his own name, to Grand Corner Dental. He practices general and family dentistry, but says he also does implants and offers cosmetic services, such as Botox injections and lip augmentation.

Markewych, who operates the South Hill Foot & Ankle Clinic, at 3028 S. Grand, says he leases about 2,800 square feet of space there, so the new location will provide substantially more space. He says he plans to add a physical therapy department there and to open a retail store in part of the space that will sell foot- and ankle-related products, such as orthopedic and well-balanced shoes, stockings, and foot creams and lotions.

His 23-year-old practice employs a registered nurse and an office manager, and he says he probably will hire four to six more employees at the new location, including a physical therapist and someone who can manage the retail store.