$71.5M convention center expansion about to go vertical in Kennewick
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- Kennewick starts vertical construction on $71.5M Three Rivers expansion.
- Expansion adds 115,000+ sqft, 60,000 sqft hall and boosts event capacity.
- Project funded via bonds repaid from center revenue and state tax rebate.
A sprawling construction site in the heart of Kennewick is about to get a whole lot more interesting to casual passersby.
Workers began pouring concrete floor foundations a few hours before sunrise on Thursday at the Three Rivers Convention Center.
The regional convention and meeting complex is getting a $71.5 million makeover and expansion. The project is adding more than 115,000 square feet and updating the existing building so the two parts are seamless.
The upgrade is dramatically increasing its capacity to accommodate large gatherings and by extension, drive more tourism-related spending in the Tri-Cities.
The project is led by the Kennewick Public Facilities District, which owns and operates the complex.
Lydig Construction, the contractor, broke ground this spring. It spent the summer months sculpting the site and installing water, sewer, power and other utilities.
Pouring the floor signifies the site is ready for a building — a moment construction industry vets refer to as “going vertical.”
The Three Rivers project will go vertical next week, when workers begin constructing concrete walls. Steel for a future metal frame arrives around Halloween and will be assembled starting in November, giving the project more visibility from surrounding streets.
“Everything is on schedule and on time,” said Corey Pearson, executive director. The completed project is set to welcome conventions and meetings next fall. Next summer, workers will tuck into the existing convention center to upgrade floors and other amenities to ensure the new and old buildings blend seamlessly.
Convention space demand
The original convention center opened about 21 years ago. The expansion caps a decade-long effort backers say is needed to compete with Seattle, Portland and Spokane for meetings, conventions and sports tournaments.
Tourists spent nearly $650 million in the Tri-Cities in 2024 and supported nearly 6,000 jobs, according to Visit Tri-Cities.
Conventions, sports tournaments and meetings are a pillar of the industry.
Kennewick voters were not sold on the pitch. They rejected three separate sales tax requests to support bonds to pay for updates in the past.
Last year, the facilities district and Kennewick city leaders selected a different approach.
They decided to issue bonds that will be repaid from convention center earned revenue, as well as sales taxes approved by the state Legislature more than 20 years ago.
The Legislature approved the 0.033% tax hike to finance construction of the Seattle Mariners stadium, then called Safeco Field and now known as T-Mobile Field. Local jurisdictions such as Kennewick receive a portion of the proceeds. Officially, the money is considered a rebate.
The convention center addition features a 60,000-square-foot meeting hall that can be configured with six basketball courts, 20 pickleball courts or nine volleyball courts.
Managers anticipate the new convention center will add 200,000 attendees annually, which translates to demand for nearly 71,000 nightly hotel room rentals.
The convention center exxpansion is being built in tandem with a new hotel on the convention complex.
A-1 Hospitality, a Tri-Cities hotel development and management firm, was selected to serve as the private partner in the joint undertaking. It is building five-story AC Marriott Hotel with about 160 rooms.
The $47 million project is privately financed with equity investments and a loan from Idaho Central Credit Union.
The hotel will physically connect to the convention center and is expected to open next spring. The hotel is being built by Fowler Construction.