Announcement planned this week on new movie theater, hotel off Richland’s Queensgate

Construction is expected to start in a couple weeks on a new Fairchild Cinemas movie theater off Queensgate Drive in Richland.

And a new extended-stay hotel will be built nearby, starting in May, according to Windermere Real Estate Tri-Cities.

Fairchild Cinemas, which has theaters in Pasco and Moses Lake, expects to announce Thursday plans to build a 12-screen theater at the new Lincoln Landing development, said Rob Ellsworth with Windermere.

More detailed plans, including the name of the hotel, will be released at Thursday’s news conference.

“It’s a national franchise they will operate,” Ellsworth said. “They are waiting for the final T’s to be crossed.”

The theater and 120-room hotel will be built on 12 acres behind Home Depot and Gold’s Gym.

More stores and restaurants should start construction within the next three to five months, he said.

“We are in negotiations with a couple groups, but I can’t say any names until everyone is signed on,” said Ellsworth.

The Herald previously reported in June that the Kennewick Irrigation District’s board unanimously approved selling the property to Amara Design-Build of Utah for almost $1.9 million.

The theater will feature all-leather, power-reclining seats, but Ellsworth said he does not expect it to provide restaurant-type service to people in their seats as reported last year.

The Queensgate area and Kennewick’s Southridge district are the fastest growing retail areas in the Tri-Cities.

Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh stores, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Qdoba and Hop Jack’s restaurants are already under construction at Queensgate along Interstate 182, Ellsworth said.

The city seeks $38 million from the state Legislature to build a Duportail Street bridge over the Yakima River to connect the Queensgate area with central Richland.

“It’s really going to start to fill that area out,” Ellsworth said.

Fairchild Cinemas, owned by Jeff and Lisa Fairchild, in 2012 announced intentions to build a 12-screen theater on property off Queensgate it was buying from KID, but later said the announcement was premature.

Jeff Fairchild could not be reached Tuesday about the project.

Richland has been without a movie theater since the Uptown Cinemas closed in 2006 when its building was sold. Fairchild opened its 42,000-square-foot theater in Pasco a year later.

This story was originally published February 24, 2015 at 10:39 AM.