of hope Post Falls lands national travel stop firm; Wal-Mart, | Sam’s Club still expected By BRIAN WALKER Staff writer POST FALLS — While the area’s _ housing market sputters, the com- mercial wheels continue to turn. Post Falls City Administrator Eric Keck told the City | Council that Wal-Mart | plans to submit plans | for a superstore at The Pointe at Post Falls n January. Developer oursquare Properties announced last April Keck that the mega-retailer - bought a 17-acre site for a 200,000-square-foot building at see GLIMMER, A14 Economic glimmers atthe BEGLIMMER from Al the intersection of Baugh Way and Pointe Parkway in the northwest part of the project. City officials also expect a Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart’s version of a Costco ware- house, will still be built at The Pointe, but the company appears to be waiting for the Interstate 90 interchange at Beck Road to be built in a year or two. Additionally, Oklahoma City-based Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, which is open 24 hours at more than 200 locations in 34 states and typically employs about 40 at each, has pur- chased a site in the Expo development off -90 and Pleasant View Road on the west side of Post Falls. “We still expect signtficant commercial projects in 2009,” Keck said. Rick Shuffield, director of real estate for Love's, said construction will start on the travel stop as early as next spring. He said access to 1-90, proximity to the border, expected development on Post Falls’ west side and Idaho’s fuel tax advantages were reasons Love's chose the location. [t will be Love’s first location in the Inland Northwest. The next clos- | est facility is in Heyburn on | 1-84. He said Love’s is a compet itor of Flying J, which has a location across Pleasant View, but he believes there’s room | for both companies. They also have some differences. x “Flying ] generally has a | full-service restaurant; we ‘ typically have a fast-food res-) taurant,” he said. ° s Locations typically have | = RV dump stations and park- ing for overnight stays. 4 Love's, a family-owned company, has annual sales o more than $7 billion. Jim Watson, who owns = the Expo property, said he : believes Love’sisalogical = addition to the project. The site is currently vacant and across the street from anoth er existing gas station. “| think that they are a very quality operation, and they bring inasignificant | amount of visitors,” Watson said. “They just run a very high-end travel center. It will. be good for that whole (west * side) quadrant and it should attract some additional busi- nesses around it.”