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Spokane issues $35 million in projects in October; year nears $400 million, staff says
Summary
City permits staff reported $35,000,000 in construction value issued in October and said year‑to‑date valuation is approaching $400,000,000; plan‑review backlog and a shift toward smaller “middle housing” units were highlighted.
Tammy Palmquist reported to the Spokane City Council that October saw $35,000,000 in construction permits issued, bringing the year’s total to nearly $400,000,000. "October was pretty good," Palmquist said, noting the department issued 39 housing units in October and has 1,171 applications in plan review, with 456 approved and pending issuance.
Palmquist told council staff are seeing a decline in median single‑family residential job values and an 18% decrease in square footage for typical single‑family permits, which she attributed to an increase in middle‑housing formats such as duplexes, four‑plexes and townhomes. "We're seeing more of the four‑plexes and the duplexes," she said, adding that smaller unit footprints help explain the lower square footage figures.
Staff listed large projects either issued or in plan review that should boost future activity: Adams Elementary (a $26,000,000 project awaiting issuance), the Sacred Heart Medical Center Heart Institute tenant improvement (~$4,000,000), an Adams Tractor project (~$3,500,000) and a Madison & Sharp multifamily project (40 units, roughly $5,000,000). Palmquist said some multifamily projects have been approved but not yet issued, contributing to the inventory of projects awaiting construction starts.
Councilors asked staff to break out the number of duplex, triplex and four‑plex units in plan review and to provide heat‑map data showing where single‑family builds are concentrated; Palmquist said she could produce that data. The department also noted it postponed a planned November go‑live of a new permitting configuration to allow more testing and training so the public receives a stable system.
The department said single‑family permits remain somewhat down from prior years but that the overall pipeline—especially multifamily approvals—could translate into substantial near‑term building activity once issuance and construction begin.
