Pasco to invest $3.8M to prevent another Road 68 traffic mess at Broadmoor
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- Pasco backs a $3.8 million Harris Road realignment to prevent Road 68 congestion.
- Visconsi would dedicate the right-of-way at no cost by Feb. 15, 2027.
- Funding combines $3 million from TIF bonds and $870,000 from transportation impact fees.
Construction on a road project expected to pave the way for commercial development in the Broadmoor area took a step forward, four years after the city unveiled plans for the large-scale development in west Pasco.
The project would reroute Old Harris Road, disconnecting it from Broadmoor Boulevard and instead connecting it to Sandifur Parkway at Road 103.
The current draft design shows a three-lane road with one lane in each direction and a center two-way left-turn lane.
Visconsi Group, which has a purchase agreement to develop land in the area, reached an agreement with the city of Pasco to move forward with the road realignment, City Manager Harold Stewart told the council this week.
The goal is to prevent the type of traffic congestion that has plagued Road 68, while providing easier access to the Broadmoor development.
Broadmoor, in northwest Pasco, is a 1,200-acre master-planned district near Interstate 182 envisioned as a regional hub for commercial, residential and mixed-use development, including retail centers, restaurants, medical offices and up to 5,000 housing units.
The Herald reported last month that state environmental records show Visconsi intends to build a grocery store, rumored to be a Safeway, as well as 124-room hotel, convenience store and gas station, car wash, restaurant buildings and other retail storefronts.
“In essence the city would be agreeing to a specific timeline for relocating the Harris Road,” Stewart said. “This is an important component as the developer tries to secure commitments and leases with different businesses that will locate as part of this development.”
Under the proposed development agreement, Visconsi dedicated, at no cost to the city, the right-of-way needed for the new Harris Road alignment by February 2027.
Project carries a $3.8M price tag
The road realignment is estimated to cost $3.8 million, funded through a combination of $870,000 in transportation impact fees and $3 million from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a Washington state program.
Under TIF law, Pasco issued up to $39 million in bonds to finance roads and other infrastructure improvements in the Broadmoor area.
The bonds are expected to be repaid with future increases in property tax revenue generated by all the development in that area.
Of that total, about $3 million would pay for the Harris Road realignment, while $870,000 would come from transportation impact fees paid by Visconsi.
Stewart told the council the agreement also protects the city if construction costs exceed engineer estimates.
“If the project comes in over engineers’ estimate there’s a cost share mechanism that would trigger through that so that the city doesn’t eat all of that overage going forward,” Stewart said.
Under the agreement, the city would cover any construction cost overrun of up to 10% above the estimate.
If costs exceed the estimate by more than 10%, Visconsi would begin sharing the additional expense.
But if bids come in more than 30% above the estimate, the city could reject all bids and terminate the agreement.
Pasco city council is expected to review the proposed agreement with Visconsi in the next two weeks.
Visconsi isn’t the only commercial developer planning to bring retail to Broadoor.
Elevated Property Co., a West Coast lifestyle mall developer, signed a letter of intent last year to buy a 100+acre site along Broadmoor Boulevard from Broadmoor Properties LLC. The LLC, which owns much of the Broadmoor area, is owned by Kathy and Dale Adams.
Fred Bruning, founder and CEO of Elevated, confirmed to the Herald in May that the deal is still in the works.
Bruning told the Herald he hoped to share news “soon” on the major project.
