Flower farm closes, Horn Rapids lawsuit, Amazon and casino. Top business stories
Tri-Cities business and development news has been busy, with major construction projects, a contentious tribal casino plan and a homeowner lawsuit shaping the region. Here’s a quick look at what’s happening across Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and beyond.
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• Quick Quack Car Wash, a Sacramento-based chain, is eyeing the long-closed Azteca Mexican Restaurant property in Kennewick for a potential 3,500-square-foot automated car wash, though no permits have been filed.
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs released a 323-page roadmap to guide an environmental review of the Colville Tribes’ proposed Tri-Cities 12 Tribes Casino near Pasco, a plan opposed by the Yakama Nation and Umatilla tribes.
• The Emerald of Siam Thai Restaurant in Richland has started a GoFundMe and is getting closer to its $100,000 goal to cover kitchen repairs and lost business tied to replacing its aging vent hood.
• Wyoming-based Takkion Operating LLC is leasing five acres and 7,000 feet of rail at the Port of Pasco for $22,000 a month to serve as a temporary staging hub for wind turbine blades bound for regional wind farms.
• Old Dominion Freight Lines opened a $10.5 million, 60-door freight terminal on 17 acres in north Pasco, serving a 400-square-mile territory after outgrowing its original location.
• Rockwool North America cut the ribbon on a $175 million insulation plant at Wallula Gap Business Park featuring a “manmade volcano,” while CarMax wraps up its first Tri-Cities dealership.
• Tri-Cities Flower Farm liquidated thousands of plants after 36 years in Kennewick to make way for a gas station and convenience store development.
• Tri-Cities builders pulled 402 single-family permits in the first quarter, 51% above the same period in 2025, even as the median home price of $440,000 strains affordability.
• The cost to convert Pasco’s Project Pearl warehouse into an Amazon inbound cross dock has climbed to more than $43 million after a new $13.6 million racking permit, with the facility expected to open this summer with about 1,000 employees.
• Horn Rapids golf course owner Brad Rew is suing Pahlisch Homes and the HOA, claiming the code compliance committee has illegally blocked his 54-unit Links at Horn Rapids townhome project meant to fund course improvements.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.