These 300 acres of Pasco farmland could become the Tri-Cities next industrial center

The Port of Pasco announced Tuesday it has finalized the $6.5 million purchase of 300 acres of land from Balcom and Moe for a future industrial center.

The site is about a mile north of the Pasco Processing Center, off Highway 395 in north Pasco.

The port will keep the property in agricultural production while it makes plans to replicate the processing center to accommodate growth. The process could take up to 20 years.

The port received a $2.25 million loan from the Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund Board to buy the land.

The balance came from the port’s Economic development Opportunity Fund.