Richland mulls potential sites of Tri-Cities Public Market

The Richland City Council is being asked to rule out using part of Howard Amon Park for a proposed Tri-Cities Public Market.

As part of its Waterfront Vision process, the city council asked a consultant to suggest possible market locations.

The consultant recommended the market be developed near the “fingernail” band shell or on a 2.7-acre city-owned site at 650 George Washington Way, known to Richlanders as the “hole” near the city’s entrance.

The council will narrow the list to one during a future public meeting, likely in February.

The council didn’t discuss the market during its regularly scheduled workshop Tuesday. About 10 market advocates attended anyway in show of support for the George Washington location.

Sandra Rosenau, a Richland resident since 2008 and member of the Mid-Columbia Market Board, told the Herald after the meeting that the ribbon of park along the Columbia River is one of the things she loves most about Richland.

Ripping out mature trees for a market and associated parking would be bad idea in light of the spot out on George Washington, she said.

“You have a patch of land that’s almost perfect,” she said.

Steve Minard, another market board member, said after the workshop that it would damage Howard Amon to install a commercial operation and associated parking in the park.

“It seems illogical,” he said.

Adam Brault, the public face behind the public market, is working with Crown Group, a Chicago-based developer on a development agreement for the George Washington Way site. The team wants to convert a routine retail proposal into a market anchored with a mixed-use project that includes a parking garage, the market, office space and apartments.

He rallied supporters on social medial to support his broader vision for the market. By Tuesday, 100 had written letters and still more had commented on his Facebook page.

Under pressure from advocates, the council issued a news release late Tuesday afternoon. It thanked Brault and market supporters for their enthusiasm, but the mayor said that the council is obliged to consider all the sites.

“We would be doing a disservice if we did not review all options and consider the research and recommendations of our staff and expert consultants,” Mayor Bob Thompson said in the statement.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Richland mulls potential sites of Tri-Cities Public Market."