Commercial construction in Tri-Cities still strong. The latest on what’s being built
It’s been a busy year for construction in the Tri-Cities, as the area’s economy withstood the major blows at the national level.
As the peak of construction season winds down, there are still plenty of projects being worked on across the area.
Commuters sitting in south Kennewick traffic might have noticed a new multistory building shooting up, with elevator shafts towering above the wood and bright green temporary walls.
Kennewick Retirement Residence is building a four-story independent living retirement community on the Northwest Corner of Hildebrand Boulevard that will feature 149 suites.
The company is owned by Hawthorn Senior Living out of Vancouver. Chief Marketing Officer Adam Bryan told the Herald earlier this year that the community will offer all-inclusive living for retirees.
The complex will include amenities such as housekeeping, chef-cooked meals, activities, maintenance and dedicated space for medical contractors. Units will range from 400-square-foot studios to 1,100-square-foot 2-bedroom apartments.
While they haven’t announced their price point set, Adams said that they intend to market middle-income retirees. They hope to open by the end of 2024.
It’s just one of many new communities aimed at folks 55-and-older in the Tri-Cities.
Burns Road apartments
Just west of the intersection of Broadmoor Boulevard and Burns Road, this new apartment complex will come in on a 14-acre site along Burns and the future Road 104.
The complex will have 14 buildings with a total of 354 units, a pool, clubhouse and office. It’s being built by a Vancouver-based developer under the name Pasco-Burns LLC.
The apartments will be middle income housing, and development is expected to start as soon as an environmental impact assessment is completed and permits are approved, according to documents filed with Washington state.
The city of Pasco and the company behind the Broadmoor Development, to the south of these new apartments, recently approved a series of road projects in the area that will help see that long-in-the-works development rapidly expand.
Dairy expansion
A Franklin County dairy is undergoing some major renovations.
Ruby Ridge Dairy is looking to add a nearly 60,000-square-foot freestall barn and new milking facility to the existing site.
They currently have five freestall barns of similar size and one milk barn, according to a proposed site plan submitted to the state. The new milk parlor will come in at just under 40,000 square feet.
Ruby Ridge is owned by the Bengen family and has about 2,300 head of cattle, according to a 2021 company profile.
The family-owned company has been around for decades, but moved operations to the Pasco area in 2005.
Bruce Mechanical
Bruce Mechanical Inc. is building a new facility at 5003 W. Brinkley Rd. in Kennewick.
The HVAC company will be putting up a 16,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building in the Brinkley Industrial Park.
They already have an existing facility at the park. Other tenants include W. McKay Construction, All City Transmission and others.
It is a largely industrial area near the Highway 395 and Interstate 82 interchange.
Badger Mountain South
Nor Am Investments is building new storage and warehouses on Storehouse Avenue, a new road in the Badger Mountain South neighborhood.
Darren Sweeney, a developer with the landowner for the area, said that the 10 buildings will range in size from personal storage to warehouse space for small businesses.
In all, the permits for the buildings show they’re valued at more than $3 million.
Flex Space
Looking for warehouse or office space for a small business closer to the center of the Tri-Cities? Flex Space Business Centers recently opened several facilities in the Tri-Cities.
Shoppers have been wondering what the new warehouse near Kohl’s and Mattress Firm would be, and now we have an answer.
Flex Space offers a variety of sizes of office or warehouse space starting from around $1,350 per month and going up depending on the size and use.
They still have about a dozen suites available at Tapteal Drive and Center Parkway. Their facility on Jackrabbit Lane is fully leased, and a new location at 2509 Logan Street in Richland is in the works.
