Nordstrom Sales Endanger City's Block Grant

SPOKANE-A Spokane city official is concerned that slumping sales at the Nordstrom store in the River Park Square mall may curtail the city’s ability to retain federal block grants.

When the city received a loan from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to build part of the mall, part of the deal included repayment of the loan tied to sales receipts. A portion of the Nordstrom sales over $40 million would be earmarked to repay the loan.

Mike Adolfae told the Spokane City Council last week that Nordstrom did not clear a $40 million threshold for its first reporting period and there’s no way of anticipating if the store will perform better in the future.