Queensgate developer nears end of construction at Vintner Square

The California developer behind the Target-anchored retail boom at Queensgate marked off two more spaces this week when MOD Pizza and Ulta Beauty made their official debuts.

With the two newcomers, Vintner Square is a step closer to full development, with several additional stores already under construction.

Party City has opened next to the Ulta store, and Panera Bread and a dental office are coming next.

Panera and the dentist will occupy a 9,000-square-foot building now under construction on the east side of Queensgate, near the Richland city shops.

The much-awaited Panera — the first in the Tri-Cities — should open by the end of the year, said Jim Stephens, vice president for Browman, a Bay Area-firm with retail holdings throughout the western United States.

Panera confirmed plans to expand into the Tri-Cities in November. It previously was among the businesses Tri-City Herald readers said they wanted in a “Most Wanted” survey conducted last year.

With the latest additions, Vintner Square is about 90 percent developed. Stephens said there’s room to develop up to 13,000 square feet next to the Party City spot and a few freestanding “pad” locations totaling another 13,000 or so square feet.

“We’ll be done,” said Stephens.

At build-out, the center will have about 300,000 square feet, including more than 100,000 at Target. Most Vintner Square retailers lease space from Browman but Minneapolis-based Target owns its building.

Browman bought the 51 acres at Queensgate from the city of Richland in late 2001 — a $4.77 million deal the city hoped would spur retail development to the City View area west of the Yakima River.

The city had previously acquired the property from the state Department of Natural Resources in 1994 as part of a larger deal to develop the area.

It took more than a year to begin development, but Stephens said Browman preferred to let the market set the pace for development.

“I’d say it’s kind of gone as expected. We always try to wait for the right tenants for our projects. It wasn’t a rush to complete,” he said.

As the company contemplates the end of the active phase of development, it’s likely to retain Vintner Square in its management portfolio rather than selling it.

“We’re a long-term investor,” he said. The company remains bullish on Eastern Washington and owns property in Spokane. And it may not be finished with the Mid-Columbia.

“We definitely like to find more opportunities in the Tri-Cities,” he said.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Queensgate developer nears end of construction at Vintner Square."