What’s being built there? Restaurant on a runway, food truck hub + Pasco aquatic center

Welcome to “What’s being built there?”

This feature gives quick updates about the construction shaping the future of the Mid-Columbia, including Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland.

Suggest projects you’d like to see at news@tricityherald.com.

Kennewick

Columbia Valley Center for Recovery

900 S. Auburn St.

The former Kennewick General Hospital closed when operations moved to the Southridge area. Benton County bought the facility and with partners is creating a behavioral health and recovery center.

Interior demolition work was authorized in December. The $25 million to $27 million project involves converting a portion of the former hospital into a facility serving up to 57 people at a time, with room to expand in the future.

Bouten Construction and NAC Architecture are the designer and builder. Construction is expected to wrap up by December.

Comprehensive Healthcare will manage programs providing short-term treatment, crisis stabilization, withdrawal management and residential substance use treatment.

Chick-fil-A (update)

7009 W. Canal Drive

We have fresh photos from the construction site for the Tri-Cities’ first Chick-fil-A restaurant, in the Columbia Center area.

Crews were preparing concrete walls for stucco during a recent visit to the site of the 5,000-square-foot restaurant.

Kuki Izakaya Japanese Restaurant (update)

697 Crosswind Blvd.

Kuki Izakaya is the first private development at the Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field mixed-use neighborhood.

Owner Isabelle Yuri Nah broke ground in November and expects to open by late 2025.

The 3,500-square-foot restaurant has a construction value of about $70,000 and is being built by Construction Services of Washington LLC.

Fresh drone photos by the Tri-City Herald’s Bob Brawdy put the Vista Field transition from municipal airport to future neighborhood in sharp relief.

The old runway appears to run right under the Kuki development site. The “X” visible at the top of the photo was painted across the runway in late 2013, when the airport permanently ceased operations.

Pasco

Summer’s Hub Food Truck Plaza

6120 Burden Blvd.

Work is started on the $1.6 million future home of Summer’s Hub near Gesa Stadium in Pasco.

Owner Chris Corbin is developing a 6,600-square-foot restaurant and food court facility comparable to the existing Summer’s Hub near Columbia Center in Kennewick. It will have room for about 30 food trucks.

LPR Architecture is the designer. MH Construction is the builder.

Pasco Aquatic Center

Road 108 at Broadmoor

Ceremonial groundbreaking shovels have given way to excavators and other heavy equipment at the site where Pasco is building a $37.5 million voter-approved aquatic center.

The Pasco Public Facilities District bought the six-acre site in the Broadmoor area after voters approved a two-tenths of a percent sales tax.

The complex will offer a 3-lane 25-yard lap pool, lazy river, a children’s play area and other features, including party rooms. It won’t have a competition pool to begin, but planners hope to add one in future phases.

Bouten Construction is the contractor. It is expected to open in April 2026.

Richland

Costco Wholesale (update)

3125 Queensgate Blvd.

it’s no secret Costco Wholesale is constructing its second Tri-Cities store in Richland, at Queensgate Drive and Kennedy Road.

Now it’s super obvious after Costco installed a sign bearing its name at the 30-acre site where it is building a $25 million store and fueling station.

Lydig Construction is the contractor for the project. The site includes space for outbuildings to accommodate retailers who want to be by Costco’s front door.

Costco signed a long-term lease with the Washington department of Natural Resources for the property, which is behind Grocery Outlet in Vintner Square.

West Richland

Benton REA Admin Complex (update)

2121 Cooperative Way

Excavation and site work continues at the future home of the Benton Rural Electric Association administrative complex near the West Richland Police Station and former Tri-City Raceway.

Benton REA broke ground in October after closing a deal for more than 17 acres in late 2021. The utility serves nearly 12,000 members and employs 73. It is consolidating operations but will retain an office and personnel in Prosser, its current base.

Leone & Keeble is building the $20 million project.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription