What’s being built there? Panera’s neighbor, $14M apartments, huge I-90 project

Welcome to “What’s being built there?” an occasional Tri-City Herald feature that gives brief descriptions of building projects shaping the Mid-Columbia.

This week we take a detour to Ellensburg, where the What’s that? team spotted a huge construction project along the freeway. Curious? Keep reading.

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

Kennewick

MultiCare Health Systems

6821 W. Canal Drive, Suite 120

MultiCare Health Systems is constructing a clinic in a suite next to the new Panera Bread in Kennewick. The property was formerly Old Country Buffet.

The 2,862 square foot project has a construction value of $700,000

Stephens & Sons Inc. is the contractor.

Surf Thru Express Car Wash (Update)

624 S. Ely St.

The newest Tri-Cities location for Surf Thru Express is rising above a massive new retaining wall at Highway 395 and South Ely Street in mid-Kennewick.

The $3 million project includes a drive-thru car was as well as canopied vacuum station.

Chervenell Construction is contractor for the 6,700-square-foot project.

Pasco

Summer’s Hub Pasco

6120/6200 Burden Blvd.

The newest edition of Summer’s Hub, a food truck park and restaurant, opens “soon” outside GESA Stadium in Pasco.

Chris Corbin, who created the original Summer’s Hub in Kennewick, is developing the 6,600-square-foot park to accommodate food trucks.

The project is valued at $1.3 million and is being built by MH Construction.

Richland

North Richland Apartments

1866 Jadwin AVe.

The city of Richland has approved a 114-unit garden-style apartment complex for a vacant lot to the west of the north end Safeway.

Jadwin Spokane LLC purchased the property. T. W. Clark Construction LLC of Spokane Valley is the developer and Trek Architecture is the designer.

The project has a construction value of $14.2 million and will include a clubhouse, pool and parking structures.

Road Trip: Ellensburg

WinCo Foods Distribution Center

805 Anderson Road, north side of Interstate 90

If your travels took you through Ellensburg in recent months, you’ve probably spotted the massive structure rising along Interstate 90, west of the Interstate 82 interchange.

Per the City of Ellensburg, WinCo Foods is building a $47 million distribution center and cold storage building complex that will top 700,000 square feet. It will be about 11 stories high, or 115 feet..

The project includes a 656,000-square-foot grocery and cold storage building, a 42,400-square foot truck return building, a fire pump house, various outbuildings for truck drivers and an expansive parking lot plus landscaping.

Engineered Structures Inc. is the contractor.

The city anticipates the complex will add around 330 jobs when it is fully operational in 2031. WinCo Foods operates a string of grocery stores in the Northwest.

Its stores are chiefly concentrated along Interstates 5 and 90, but it has several locations in the Mid-Columbia, including Kennewick, Richland and Pasco.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports the complex could top 1-million square feet if future phases are built.

This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 10:53 AM.

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