‘Largest-ever private development.’ Port of Pasco begins ground work for $500M plant
It takes a lot of work to build a plant that can process 8 million gallons of milk each day.
The Port of Pasco is starting major infrastructure work to prepare the future $500 million Darigold processing site for construction later this year.
The port is taking on about $20 million worth of infrastructure, paid for in part by a Washington state grant and Tax Increment Funding agreement. It will pave the way, literally and figuratively, for Darigold to begin work on their 150-acre site later this year.
Darigold plans to invest about half a billion dollars to bring the plant online, creating 200 direct jobs and 1,000 support positions making specialized protein powder and butter.
The port previously said that about half of the 400,000-square foot facility’s products are expected to be exported, particularly to Pacific Rim countries.
The infrastructure work will include 18,000 feet of 16-inch water main, 13,500 feet of road improvements, an 8,300 foot long rail spur to connect to the nearby BNSF rail yard and 4,800 feet of access roadway along the rail.
They will also be signalizing the crossing at railroad avenue.
Port CEO Randy Hayden said they are finishing the design work for the infrastructure with bids set for later this year.
They expect it to be complete by the end of 2023.
Once the port finishes the Darigold portion of the infrastructure, they will continue on to the remaining 150 acres of the Reimann Industrial Park to prepare for future tenants.
The port will get about $7.5 million back from the state after the work is complete. The rest will be paid for up front by the port and then reimbursed through a TIF agreement with Darigold passed earlier this year.
What that means is that essentially a portion of the money Darigold would be paying in to property taxes will be used to reimburse the infrastructure work, allowing the port to spend the money up front and later recoup it.
Hayden said Darigold is still on track to break ground in August.
The company’s initial plans have the plant coming online in late 2024. It will produce butter and whey protein products.
Other projects
That’s not the only major infrastructure project the Port of Pasco is currently working on.
The port recently received a $7.5 million FAA grant for a new taxi way at the Tri-Cities Airport, and is working on a separate infrastructure project to bring in more commercial clients.
The business infrastructure work will be done with a separate $3 million grant, and will see Rickenbacker Drive ran through and infrastructure work done for future hangars.
Truck and Auto of Pasco, which runs vehicle auctions, told the Herald they expect to be one of the first businesses to expand, adding 3 acres and a new hangar next to the area they currently operate.
That project will also see a second taxi way constructed for business clients to connect the new hangars to the airport’s runways.
