Two ideas arise for mixed-use building in downtown Moscow

Two proposals have been submitted to develop a mixed-use building on the corner of Sixth and Jackson streets in downtown Moscow.

The Moscow Urban Renewal Agency requested proposals for the property known as Legacy Crossing earlier this year after it ended negotiations with developer Rusty Olps, who tried unsuccessfully to establish a mixed-use building there.

There have been multiple attempts in recent years to not only construct a mixed-use building on this land, but to connect it to the university’s Hello Walk, a pathway that begins at the UI Administration Building.

The new proposals come from three members of the local business community. George Skandalos and Carly Lilly submitted one proposal, and Aaron Rench submitted the other.

Lilly and Skandalos, who own multiple Moscow restaurants and the Moscow Hotel building, were selected by MURA to develop the Sixth and Jackson corner in 2015. However, rising costs made the project financially unfeasible and they did not go forward with it.

Their new proposal includes relocating their restaurant Sangria Grille into a mixed-use building on Sixth and Jackson.

“When Sangria Grille was in operation, it pulled from Moscow’s downtown core, and we would like to bring those customers back to downtown,” Skandalos and Lilly wrote in their proposal.

They have partnered with Seattle architecture firm Atelier Jones to design the building that will have 11,639 square feet of retail space, 10,311 square feet of office space and 51 residential units.

Skandalos and Lilly plan to dedicate 20% of the apartments as affordable housing. They also want to lease the retail spaces to small local businesses.

The proposal calls for 24 onsite parking spaces, but Moscow Deputy City Supervisor Cody Riddle said Thursday that 31 spaces are required by city code for this type of design.

They anticipate construction would start in spring 2024 and be completed in summer 2025.

Rench stated in his proposal that he wants the Sixth and Jackson corner to “come to life and be a vibrant space, connecting both downtown and the university.”

His proposal calls for 7,434 square feet of retail space, 1,350 square feet of office space and 50 residential units. It would also include a rooftop deck and recreational space.

The commercial space, he stated, is designed to attract three or four “high profile anchor tenants.”

Rench is working with Moscow architecture firm North House Design and expects the project to be completed within 24 months.

His proposal includes 38 parking spaces. Riddle said 40 is required by city code for this type of design.

Rench is one of the owners of the historic David’s Building on Moscow’s Third and Main street. He is also a producer for Gorilla Poet Productions and CEO of Canon Press.

Rench, Skandalos and Lilly are invited to present their proposals to the MURA on July 6.

A subcommittee made up of two business owners and two UI representatives will also review the proposals.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.