Spokane International Airport is on track to wrap up construction of a new $11.5 million administration building before the end of 2026, a project years in the making that will consolidate nearly all of the airport’s administrative departments under one roof for the first time.
New Facility Consolidates Airport Operations
The two-story structure, measuring 36,000 square feet, is being built northwest of the intersection of Airport Drive and Compass Lane, placing it as the westernmost building on airport grounds. Currently, administrative offices are scattered across the second floor of the main terminal — an arrangement the new facility is designed to replace.
The building will house departments including human resources, finance, property management, planning and development, legal, operations, and air service and marketing. In addition to roughly 13,000 square feet of dedicated office space, the structure will include approximately 20,000 square feet of underground parking, along with ground-level parking, on-site meeting rooms, and shared collaboration areas.
Spokane’s Bouten Construction is handling the build, while Portland-based MWA Architects handled the design. The Spokane Airport Board approved the design back in 2023, site preparation work followed, and construction got underway in 2024. Completion is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
Spokane International Airport is jointly owned by the City of Spokane and Spokane County and governed by a public board. The airport employs nearly 150 people total.
The project reflects broader investment momentum in the region’s transportation and commercial infrastructure. North Idaho communities, including those in Bonner County, rely heavily on Spokane International as the nearest major commercial air hub, making airport capacity and operational improvements a practical concern for travelers throughout the Panhandle.
Restaurant Relocation and Coffee Chain Debut Add to Regional Development Activity
Alongside the airport project, other notable construction permits are moving through the City of Spokane’s process, signaling continued commercial investment across the metro area that North Idaho residents regularly frequent.
Las Delicias de Isa, a Mexican restaurant owned by Isabel “Isa” Varela, is relocating from its current address near Crestline Street — just outside Spokane city limits — to a historic 1907 building at 5008 N. Market St. known as the Nebraska building. Varela has also operated at several farmers markets in the area. The Nebraska building has housed a long succession of businesses over more than a century, including a grocery store, billiards parlor, jewelry shop, and café. Its current owners, who purchased the property in 2021 for $325,000, have since updated the facade and overhauled the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems, and installed commercial kitchen equipment. Spokane-based Eighty8 Architecture designed the restaurant remodel, with local contractor Kaleb Fisher set to carry out construction.
Also entering the Spokane market for the first time is 7Brew Coffee, a national chain headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas, that currently operates across 38 states. Plans filed with the city call for a 510-square-foot drive-thru coffee hut at Franklin Park Commons, 5520 N. Division St., with two drive-thru lanes capable of accommodating 22 vehicles simultaneously. The project carries an estimated cost of $1.8 million and would replace approximately 60 existing parking spaces. The site sits just north of the now-closed Shari’s Cafe & Pies location and directly in front of the Old Navy storefront, within a shopping center that also includes Trader Joe’s and Ross Dress For Less. Irving, Texas-based Anchor Point Management submitted the plans, and the project remains in the predevelopment stage.
What Comes Next
The airport administration building is the most advanced of the three projects, with a target completion date in the final months of 2026. The Las Delicias de Isa remodel and the 7Brew drive-thru are both in the permit application phase, meaning construction timelines for those projects have not yet been publicly confirmed. As Spokane continues attracting new commercial investment, North Idaho communities — including Sandpoint and the broader Bonner County area — stand to benefit from improved services and amenities in the region’s primary urban center. For more on economic development trends shaping North Idaho, visit our coverage of a Coeur d’Alene investment platform ranked among the top growth firms in the country.