The developer of Northtown Square says the 71,000-square-foot shopping center rising on the former site of the Wendle Ford dealership at 4727 N. Division is 75 percent leased.

The developer, Northtown Square LLC, says it has signed leases with national retailers ULTA Beauty, DSW Shoes, and Dressbarn, along with Bajio Mexican Grill, Desert Sun tanning salon, and HoneyBaked Ham.

Northtown Square's Chud Wendle and John Stejer say they're pleased they've been able to attract to the development national retailers, some of which are new to the market. Wendle resigned from his position as president of Wendle Motors Inc. last year to lead the project, and Stejer is president of the Wendle family's partner in the development, Stejer Development LLC, of Spokane.

Bolingbrook, Ill.-based ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. operates 265 ULTA Beauty makeup, hair care, and fragrance retail stores in 32 states. ULTA Beauty will occupy a 10,000-square-foot space in a 50,000-square-foot building on the west side of the development.

Columbus, Ohio-based DSW Inc. sells shoes at 277 stores in 37 states. It will occupy a 14,000-square-foot space in the same building. Neither ULTA Salon nor DSW Inc. currently has a store in the Spokane area. New York City-based Dress Barn Inc. operates 835 Dressbarn stores in 46 states, including one in Spokane Valley, and has agreed to lease a 7,400-square-foot space just south of a planned STCU branch in Northtown Square. About 18,000 square feet of retail space still is available at the south end of that large building, Stejer says.

Tenants in a 13,000-square-foot building on the north side of the property include a Bajio Mexican Grill, Desert Sun, HoneyBaked Ham, and a previously announced Starbucks coffee shop. About 2,600 square feet of space is available in that building, Stejer says.

Red Lobster previously announced it has leased a site for a free- standing 7,100-square-foot restaurant it's building on the site, at the northwest corner of Wellesley Avenue and Division Street.

Altogether, Northtown Square is expected to cost about $20 million and to house 16 to 20 retail businesses.

Kilgore Construction Inc., of Colbert, is constructing the retail buildings, which are expected to be ready for occupancy next spring. The project is being designed by Spokane-based Nystrom Olson Collins Inc.

Copyright Northwest Business Press Inc. Aug 28, 2008

(c) 2008 Journal of Business; Spokane. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.