Kennewick soliciting ideas for long-ignored riverfront

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK — Something big may be coming one day to Kennewick's long-ignored riverfront district.

The blue bridge Highway 395 interchange redesign and the transformation occurring at Duffy's Pond across from Clover Island are precursors of a makeover for the city's north side facing the Columbia River.

It could begin within a year, but more likely will be a work in progress for a couple of decades, says Tom Beckwith, of Beckwith Consulting, which is doing a $154,000 study on the area for the city.

Known as the Bridge-to-Bridge and Rail-to-River Revitalization Plan, the study will involve residents, property owners and business owners in the planning.

What people want, what they are willing to pay for, and how it will happen depends on public input, Beckwith said.

A series of brainstorming sessions are scheduled, each targeted to one of seven neighborhoods within the study area.

"Each neighborhood is different. Our feeling is by breaking it up we can get a much better feel and participation," Beckwith said in a phone interview Friday from his office in Vancouver.

Each brainstorming workshop will last no longer than two hours, and will ask about business environment, employment, housing and recreation.

There will be neighborhood sessions designed for residents, which will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, and for businesses, which will be from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 27-29 and Nov. 4.

Each neighborhood area property owner and business owner is being contacted and invited to a specific session, Beckwith said. People are requested to provide RSVPs.

All sessions, which are open to the public, will be at the Clover Island Inn.

"A successful plan will be a combination of public and private action, and have things that can be done immediately," Beckwith said.

The city of Kennewick asked Beckwith to begin the study in August. It is expected to go to the city council with recommendations in May.

But Ferdouse Oneza, interim planning manager for Kennewick, said coordinating all the interests is critical, especially since the Port of Kennewick is already acting on properties it owns and has acquired recently. Cleaning up Duffy's Pond is part of that effort.

The workshops that begin Oct. 27 will ask people to state their likes and dislikes about their particular neighborhood, including the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers, Beckwith said.

"Nothing is off the table," he said.

Beckwith suggests a few points to consider:

-- How to capitalize on the riverfront.

-- What kind of housing.

-- How to link the riverfront properties to downtown Kennewick.

-- Should there be railroad-related activities or warehousing in the area?

-- Who should lead in making public improvements.

-- How to finance public improvements or private developments?

Once the neighborhood stakeholders have had their say, a session open to anyone from the city will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 18. That is when anyone can offer comments about the Bridge-to-Bridge and Rail-to-River Revitalization Plan.

Beckwith said everyone in the city should have input, because whatever is decided will involve policy decisions and tax revenues.

More meetings with the public will be in December, with the possibility that an open house on proposals will go to the city council in January.

The goal is to have a plan that can pass environmental review and be ready for implementation, said Russ Burtner, special projects coordinator for the city of Kennewick.

The study picks up where a prior study, called the Urban Design Assistance Team, ended about six years ago.

Burtner said that effort was more of a visioning process, while this study will carry the visioning into a planning stage.

"When complete, it will be ready for infrastructure improvements," Burtner said.

-- John Trumbo: 582-1529; jtrumbo@tricityherald.com

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Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

Kennewick soliciting ideas for long-ignored riverfront

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer