‘Crave’ worthy restaurants pegged for new Pasco development

Restaurants that will have people “craving” their food are on their way to what will be a vibrant, mixed-use master-planned community in Pasco.

And James Sexton of JMS Construction, the developer of 55-acres at Osprey Pointe along Pasco’s waterfront, told the Herald that within a few weeks he will be able to announce the first businesses destined for the indoor market.

Sexton’s company was selected by the developer last year to move the Port of Pasco’s decades-long vision into a reality.

Sexton says the building for the 76,000-square-foot Osprey Pointe Marketplace is on track to open next summer as an anchor of the development

JMS already has 128 vendors who have submitted letters of intent in leasing market spaces

Along with storefronts, a banquet space will serve as a destination for weddings, as well as office and holidays parties.

Sexton also said that several well-known restaurants plan to call Osprey Pointe home along with a wine bar featuring 116 wines from 16 wineries.

He also expects a couple of dozen homes to be move-in ready by next spring.

They plan to add more than a 1,000 housing units — with a mix of small single-family homes ranging from 900 to 1,200 square feet and condos and a 55-and-older facility. There will be both opportunities to buy a home or rent.

“We are targeting that entry-level pricing,” he told the Herald. “We are trying to get those people who are in apartments out of apartments.”

Sexton aims to complete 25 smaller homes by next spring along with two commercial mixed-use buildings that will have retail on the bottom floor and residential units above.

The Tri-Cities native says he is betting his livelihood on the future success of plans that will take up to 10 years to complete.

He has worked in the industry for decades and grew up seeing the large number of businesses moving to Tri-Cities, as well as watching the population double in the past 20 years.

“We really are growing up as a small town,” he said.

JMS Construction will be building 200,000 square feet of commercial space that will include a grocery store and other amenities that will support a “live, work, play” environment such as hotels and physicians.

He envisions runners, bikers and other pedestrians taking in the scenery along the 15-foot sidewalks that meander through the property and along the Columbia River.

In the meantime, JMS is asking local artists to submit logo designs for the year-round marketplace.

Details and guidelines to submit entries by July 15 are at jmstricities.com.

The company will narrow down submissions to the Top 10, the post them on social media for the community to make the choice.

The winner will received $1,000.

“We are in a partnership with the community, we want to keep them involved,” Sexton said.

This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.