Kennewick port gets good news on Vista Field ‘forever chemicals’ cleanup
The Port of Kennewick is restarting development at Vista Field after securing an all-clear from environmental regulators one year after a soil sample tested positive for “forever chemicals” at the former municipal airport.
The port halted land sales at Vista Field and paused plans to build parking lots last June after polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes called “forever chemicals,” were detected on Lot 31.
That’s the lot purchased by Columbia Point Eyecare, which was actively building a clinic when the test brought work to a halt.
The positive test came after Community First Bank, the construction lender, commissioned soil testing.
Work remains stopped, though port officials are eager to resume efforts to create an urban mixed-use village in the heart of Kennewick.
The 2025 PFAS discovery prompted the port to hire an environmental attorney and consultants to literally dig into the property to assess the scope of the problem.
The $600,000 project included taking soil samples from throughout Vista Field.
PFAS were only detected in a small area of Lot 31. All other samples were clean. The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a “no further action required” letter on Jun 11, setting the stage to restart work to promote the area to builders.
“We have a letter from Ecology. It’s something I’m going to frame,” said Tim Arntzen, the port’s executive director.
$600,000 cleanup
The contaminated soil was removed and sent to a legal disposal site.
The $600,000 came from the port’s dedicated $2.5 million environmental cleanup fund. It established the fund after it discovered a buried tank on other land it had purchased, calling it a more economical approach than buying special insurance.
Artnzen acknowledged the steep cost but said he feared it could have been worse. Widespread contamination could have prompted a multimillion dollar price tag instead of a five-figure one. It could have halted Vista Field’s evolution from airport to urban village.
PFAS refers to a class of synthetic chemicals widely used around the world since the 1950s.
WWII pilots trained there
Vista Field was a municipal airport once used by pilots training at Naval Air Station Pasco during World War II.
The port closed it to aircraft in 2013, saying it couldn’t afford to operate an airport that wasn’t eligible for Federal Aviation Administration support. FAA money supports airports in Pasco, Prosser and Richland.
Restaurants, shops, homes
The new vision is an urban redevelopment with restaurants, shops, homes and more strung along walkable streets.
The port built infrastructure, streets, utilities, a water feature, sidewalks, decorative streetlights at the center of the property and began selling sites to private developers in 2022.
Columbia Point Eyecare was among the first buyers.
The PFAS issue slowed but did not completely stop development.
Two projects were being actively built and work continued. Today, both Blueberry bridal ad Kuki Izakaya restaurant are open to the public.
Arntzen said the port continues to field inquiries from would-be buyers. Columbia Point Eyecare has been a patient partner and is considering its options, Arntzen said.
“We’re not pressuring them,” Arntzen said the of the eye doctors.
For more information go to vistafield.com