Here’s what may be coming to this prime waterfront lot in Richland

An Idaho company has a vision for a final piece of prime Richland riverfront property

Pacific Partners Residential intends to build nearly 280 townhomes and apartments, as well as restaurants, offices and shops, near the Columbia River.

The project is a step closer to becoming a reality with the Richland City Council’s recent decision to change the area’s zoning.

But city council leaders continue to wrestle with parting with the city’s final 25 acres of waterfront property.

Several have said they want to ensure it’s not just another apartment or housing project without the added mix of retail and businesses.

Richland officials have been negotiating with Pacific Partners for two years to buy the land valued at $5.9 million on Bradley Boulevard, just off George Washington Way.

It’s been a slow process exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kerwin Jensen, the city’s development services director.

Part of the land was originally zoned for parks and public facilities, preventing the developer from putting homes and businesses next to the current Riverfront Hotel.

The change to “waterfront” zoning will allow for a mix of development.

And as part of the deal, Richland will create a new riverfront park in that area, at the former site of the city landfill.

Pacific Partners’ most recent set of plans calls for development in two phases.

The first, which would start four months after the sale, would include a set of townhomes and apartments.

The second phase would bring four buildings with storefronts on the first floor, and offices and apartments on upper floors.

That could include restaurants, cafes, breweries, sandwich shops, boutiques, markets or wine bars.

The nearly four-year gap between the development of the homes and the start of the retail space, combined with the lack of a guarantee that the project would be finished, has made several council members anxious about signing off on the agreement.

Pacific Partners

Pacific Partners Residential is newest branch of The Pacific Companies, which includes a multi-family housing portfolio that spans urban and rural markets in Oregon, California Idaho, Alaska and Colorado.

The Bradley Boulevard property would be its first in Washington.

The company presented the city with an example of one of its similar developments called The Lakes at Eagle in Eagle, Idaho, Jensen said.

The luxury community on the border of an 18-acre lake features 250 units priced from $1,500 for a 1-bedroom unit to more than $2,000 for a 3-bedroom apartment. The complex includes a fitness center, access to the lake and on-site walking paths.

The community doesn’t currently include any space for restaurants or offices.

Richland proposal

Pacific Partners’ plan in Richland would put a mix of 278 townhomes and apartments south of Bradley Boulevard and another apartment building north of that.

The city would use revenue from the sale to develop the park near the river. Bradley Boulevard and the current walking/biking trail along the river would remain.

Four years later, Pacific Partners would build three “mixed-use” buildings next to the park. They would lease the space for restaurants, boutique shops, along with offices.

A fourth building would serve as the leasing and sales office and possible community center.

Council members have expressed concerns that Pacific Partners could just build the housing and never develop the business area.

One proposal is to require the company to pay a $200,000 deposit that the developer would forfeit to the city if the second phase isn’t completed.

In the most recent update, Ken Harper, the city’s attorney on the project, said the company has argued it’s not financially feasible for them to start with the business area.

“I think, at its core, what we’ve communicated before is that we don’t want to get left holding the bag on phase 2,” Mayor Ryan Lukson said at a recent council meeting. “I don’t want to have a recession 18 months, two years from now and all of the sudden, shocker, we’ve got the apartments built, but nothing else is built.”

Lukson said he would defer to city staff on how that would be best accomplished.

Other council members, including Michael Alvarez, hoped for some more documentation.

It’s unclear how soon the city and Pacific Partners could iron out those concerns.

Pacific Partners could not be reached by the Tri-City Herald about its plans for the project.

This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 12:59 PM.