Construction under way on Fifth Avenue

SANDPOINT - Sandpoint's Fifth Avenue is undergoing a sizable facelift and will soon play home to a Big 5 Sporting Goods store, a Jack in the Box restaurant and a 12,439-square-foot retail and office building known as Panhandle Mill Plaza.

The three structures, which are being developed by Sandpoint Enterprises LLC., will create a new retail area in Sandpoint and begin to expand what has historically been known as the downtown corridor.

When it is completed in late October, Panhandle Mill Plaza's first floor will host five retail spaces ranging in size from 966 square feet to 1,700 square feet. The second floor will offer 6,026 square feet of office space, according to building plans.

Marshall Clark, president of Clark Pacific Real Estate, represents the properties and said the construction process has been smooth and on budget. Clark credits Sandpoint associate planner Joan Bramblee for the work she did to help create a vision for the plaza, which he feels is fitting with its surroundings.

"The biggest thing was that the buildings fit within the community and have a Northwest feel. We wanted a lot of wood, exposed beams and stone," Clark said. "I think they look great and fit in nicely, too."

The Big 5 Sporting Goods store will open shortly before Thanksgiving, and the Jack in the Box recently began work on a 75-day building permit.

To learn more about the project and for information about renting retail space in Panhandle Mill Plaza, contact Clark at (509) 325-3333.