The Spokane City Council has approved three requests for land-use designation changes and postponed a fourth request, while a fifth request was withdrawn, says Dwight Hume, of Land Use Solutions & Entitlement LLC,

Construction valued at $3.1 million has started on 11 of 22 planned single-family homes in Greenacres, says Jayson Hunnel, vice president of planning for Lexington Homes-DHR LLC, the Spokane Valley affiliate of Arlington, Texas-based homebuilder

The Friends of the Black Lens is in the early stages of planning to remodel a building the nonprofit owns in the East Central neighborhood, says Sandy Williams, editor and publisher of Spokane-based independent news publication The Black Lens.

Gonzaga University is building a new facility for its rowing teams at Silver Lake, near the town of Medical Lake. Valued at $888,208, the 11,232-square-foot facility will include locker rooms and storage,

Kim York Dance Academy plans to open in the HUB Sports Center, at 19619 E. Cataldo, in Liberty Lake in January. Business owner Kim York, 47, is from Spokane originally and recently moved back to the area with plans to open a new studio.

A new health center called Rio Wellness has opened in the Riverwalk building at 1003 E. Trent. The business is owned by Spokane native Patti Gallagher, who says she has a passion for making self-care a priority in life.

Jessica Veselka, the owner of BeYoutiful Bath Bombs & More, has opened a new shop on the second floor of the River Park Square shopping mall at 808 W. Main.

United States Bakery, which does business as Franz Bakery, is in the process of moving its Coeur d'Alene operations to a facility more than double the space the bakery currently occupies, says Tim Harper, general manager of the Franz Bakeries Spokane

The Azteca Mexican Restaurant in downtown Spokane soon will be converted into a Maracas Mexican Grill, becoming the second Maracas restaurant here.

Brian Bean, owner of Scout Real Estate Group LLC, of Spokane, has closed the company's office at 429 W. First and joined Spokane-based commercial real estate brokerage Kiemle Hagood.