By RALPH BARTHOLDT

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — When it’s completed next year, the latest downtown parking garage will have room for more cars than the old lot.

Tons more.

Demolition of the buildings that occupied the 300 block of Coeur d’Alene Avenue began last week and the last brick from two buildings owned by ignite cda, the city’s urban renewal agency, fell Thursday.

One of the structures, an iconic Lake City business that had catered to imported car nuts — and the many local residents who owned aging VWs, Saabs, Toyotas and BMWs — for 35 years disappeared in the process.

“We were truly a mom-and-pop family business,” said Pam Tackett, owner of North Idaho Import Auto Parts on the 200 block of Third Street. She and her husband were approached several times by ignite cda to buy their building, and they accepted an offer earlier this year. “They accommodated us. They were always great to deal with.”

Aside from the temporary inconvenience of construction, nearby business owners like Frank Kaderka, the owner of Norm’s Auto Body, are cautiously optimistic about the project.

“That’s major construction, so it’s going to have some downside,” Kaderka said, “But it looks like it could be very consumer- friendly.”

The completion of the demolition work fits into the timeline that has the city accepting bids Wednesday for the $6 million garage that will house 380 vehicles.

The bid process was set aside for a while because of a booming construction climate last summer, said deputy city administrator Sam Taylor.

Once the garage is built, it will be managed by the city, Taylor said.

Work should begin as soon as a contractor is in line for the job.

“The plan is to open bids ... get a contractor on board and get started,” ignite chair Tony Berns said.

Plans to complete the four-story parking structure haven’t been changed. It should be done by early summer, Berns said.

The new garage will match the architecture of its surroundings, but its real benefit will be for business owners and downtown visitors. A 2016 parking study by the city showed a deficit of 220 parking spots downtown during the summer tourism season. Within five years, the deficit is projected to increase to 290 spots, and it will climb to 330 in a decade.

Berns said the garage — estimated at 35 feet high — may provide space for murals, or other public art.

The garage will consume much of the space between Third and Fourth streets along Coeur d’Alene Avenue, and replace a 35-spot lot north of the old federal building.