Local districts opt out: Revitalization area named for Hawkins mall land

Whitman County commissioners Monday morning took the final step in a long journey to secure state money to develop a shopping center on the Pullman-Moscow Highway at the Idaho State line.

After a public hearing that generated no comment, commissioners created a revitalization area. The area defines the boundaries where state funds will be spent on infrastructure to help Boise-based Hawkins Companies build a strip mall.

Designation of the area was required for a formal application to the state’s Department of Revenue for $5 million in funding. The county has already qualified as eligible for th...