145 acres along I-182 in Pasco may soon be developed into shops, restaurants

A Pasco landowner has been given the green light to turn 145 acres of sagebrush along Interstate 182 and Broadmoor Boulevard into shops, restaurants and office space.

The Pasco City Council this week approved an amendment to rezone the property to retail business.

The application was filed by Dale Adams of Danville, Calif., who wants to develop the vacant land known to the city as “Adams Property” north of the interstate along Harris Road and west of Broadmoor.

The area has built up over the years with the Sleep Inn, condominiums, medical offices and financial institutions to the east, the Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co. gravel pit to the west and Broadmoor Apartments on the southern side of the highway.

The request was reviewed by the Pasco Planning Commission in December and forwarded to the city council with no issues. It was noted that the zoning request is consistent with the city’s Comprehensive Plan designation for the property.

When the site was annexed to Pasco in 1982, it was zoned as “residential transition.” The term is typically used for areas that lack utility services. Once utilities and infrastructure become available or are accessible, they can be rezoned to match the land use designations, according to a report to city council.

City Planner Dave McDonald said significant changes to the area over the past few decades have set it up for commercial development.

A one-million-gallon water tank was constructed on Broadmoor in 1997, and water and sewer lines have been installed in surrounding streets for both commercial and residential developments.

Broadmoor now goes north to Dent Road, the Road 100 interchange with I-182 was enlarged in 2009 to accommodate more traffic in the near future, and Sandifur Parkway and the traffic signal at Broadmoor were designed for Sandifur to eventually extend west into this property.

McDonald also noted that future commercial development will expand not only the tax base, but employment opportunities for Tri-Citians.

Also Monday, council members agreed to rezone property at 710 N. 24th Ave. from retail business to medium-density residential.

A 958-square-foot home and two detached garages currently sit on the property, at the northwest corner of 24th and West Sylvester Street.

Bernardo Cuevas Jr. applied for the amendment to allow for a multi-family residential development, such as duplexes or four-plexes. The approximate 1.7 acres reportedly can hold between 19 and 25 units.

According to minutes from a December Planning Commission meeting, landowner Monte La Dow intends to sell the site to Cuevas and supports his vision.

A staff report described the property as underdeveloped and said it is “common urban planning practice” to put a higher-density residential zone on land that borders a major roadway, like Sylvester.

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 8:56 PM with the headline "145 acres along I-182 in Pasco may soon be developed into shops, restaurants."