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WAPATO -- Developers broke ground Tuesday on an upscale golf resort they hope will become a base for tourists visiting Washington Wine Country.
"People are excited to have a place where they can escape the city, relax and enjoy great golf, world-class wine and sunshine almost every day," said Rich Barnes, one of four partners building the 500-acre resort.
Barnes said work on the golf course and the initial infrastructure for the project will begin immediately.
The first phase of The Vineyards, which will include 230 single-family homes, is anticipated to cost about $70 million, he said.
Barnes, a principal managing partner of Eagle Resort Development in Vail, Colo., said the goal is to create a world-class resort and golf course.
The golf course will be a 7,500-yard, par 72 course with high-desert landscape and breathtaking views of Mount Adams and Mount Rainier.
The development includes plans for 582 resort-style homes, including condos; a boutique hotel; a clubhouse with a restaurant, concierge service and a vintner club.
Barnes said the developers are receiving positive feedback about the resort and they have begun taking reservations for home sites.
"The response to what we are doing is shocking, especially in light of the national economy," he said.
Barnes' partners in the project include Gary Scott of Ellensburg, Craig Schultz of Yakima and Dan Fitchett of Vail. The civil engineering is being done by Huibregtse Louman Associates of Yakima and the golf course was designed by Hurdzan Fry Architects, and golf course developer Niebur Golf. The course will be managed by KemperSports, which also manages Bandon Dunes, in Bandon, Ore.
Barnes said he and Scott have been working on the plan for four years and he believes once the development -- which is about five minutes from the Donald exit on Interstate 82 -- is complete, residents and visitors will have the sensation they are in a remote area of Tuscany.
At the same time, they'll only be moments away from downtown Yakima and a short drive from the rest of wine country.
"The growing population of active people and wine enthusiasts in this region continue to look for just the right second or third home that is easily accessible and full of resort amenities," Barnes said.
Home sites in the development range from one-fourth of an acre to a half-acre and will be sold for $200,000 to $600,000, he added.
John Cooper, president of the Yakima Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, said The Vineyards is a "pioneering" project for the region.
"Yakima is a community known for pioneering new things; it's where winemaking started in Washington state and it's where grapes are grown and the real wine experience starts," he said.
Barnes said he expects the golf course to be complete by May 2010.
* On the web: www.vineyardsresort.com
* Mary Hopkin: 585-7207; mhopkin@tricityherald.com; Business Beat blog at www.tricityherald.com
