Kennewick could get its 1st parking garage. Here’s what’s being considered

Two government agencies are looking at the possibility of the first parking garage in the city of Kennewick.

The Port of Kennewick has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kennewick, and the city council is expected to vote on also signing it at an upcoming meeting.

The memorandum would authorize studying the feasibility of a parking garage in the Vista Field area and also covers two other projects.

They include extending a stub of Grandridge Boulevard in Vista Field, should a proposed residential development move forward there, and improvements at Duffy’s Pond near Clover Island.

The city is being asked to spend up to $20,000 to split the cost of a study on the feasibility of building a parking garage that could serve development of Vista Field, the nearby entertainment district that includes the Toyota Center and the Three Rivers Convention Center, and the nearby complex of Benton County buildings.

The study would provide a high level overview on the need for a parking garage, what size it should be, its possible location and its cost.

Then the agencies, likely including Benton County, could consider whether it makes sense to build a parking garage to address parking needs in the area and free up land that would otherwise be needed for parking for future development.

The study also could provide some guidance on whether a parking garage is needed in the near future or possibly in five or 10 years, Tim Arntzen, chief executive of the Port of Kennewick, said at a recent Kennewick council workshop.

“We just want to test the waters,” he said.

The initial study would not commit either the city or the port to building a parking structure, the memorandum said. The study should be completed by June 2024.

Kennewick’s Vista Field

The port is negotiating with a developer for a large-scale residential development on part of Vista Field that would require an extension of Grandridge Boulevard in the area. The stub currently ends just past the Crosswind Boulevard intersection.

Although the memorandum of agreement described it as a housing development exceeding $10 million, Arntzen told the council the development costs likely would top $30 million.

Some 150 to 200 high-end, multifamily rental units are proposed, he said, but gave no further information as no final deal with the developer has been reached.

Under the memorandum, the city would contribute half the Grandridge Boulevard extension costs, including architecture and engineering costs, up to $800,000.

The money would come from the city’s Rural County Capital Funds allocation through Benton County from a Washington state sales tax rebate.

However, if a deal with the developer is not in place by the end of the year, the city would not be obligated to the project.

The Grandridge Boulevard extension also would open an additional 10 acres at Vista Field to development, Arntzen said.

Vista Field is a former municipal airport owned by the Port of Kennewick. The port envisions the land being developed into a new town center with businesses, residences, waterways, pathways and a public plaza.

Duffy’s Pond in downtown

Under the memorandum, the Port of Kennewick and the city would consult with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explore options for deepening Duffy’s Pond, a 10-acre retention basin east of Clover Island Drive south of the Columbia River.

The city controls the site under a master lease with the Corps.

The two agencies also would cooperate toward the completion of the Duffy’s Pond Trail, including design, environmental permitting and construction.

The port has been interested for more than a decade in walking paths and a natural preserve for the public at the pond.

The pond’s water comes from groundwater seepage near the Columbia River and initially the two agencies would collaborate on a plan to treat the Clover Island boat basin and Duffy’s Pond with algicides to prevent the accumulation of aquatic weeds and algae.

The plan would take into account the city’s downstream potable water plant intake.

Deepening the pond would allow the use of aeration equipment for long-term algae control.

The next step would be to complete an application to the Corps and to work closely with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 5:00 AM.