Southridge complex is starting something big ...

The dreams for the Southridge development in Kennewick have been grand, but the pace of growth has been slow.

Sure there are a few more buildings and businesses that have come online in the past year, but a great deal of vacant land still exists.

A hospital, a water park, retail spaces and sports fields have all been discussed but most remain in the idea stage or face hurdles to the path of development.

But a major piece of the envisioned puzzle is about to become reality with the opening of the Southridge Sports and Events Complex off Highway 395 this fall.

Kennewick is working off the old "if you build it, they will come" theory. It's kind of like planting a seed and hoping a crop will follow.

The sports complex will be an attention getter, there's no doubt. Three ball fields, a playground, a splash pool and a 30,000-square-foot indoor pavilion -- the jewel of the complex -- and community buildings will bring a lot of activity to the area.

Sports tournaments are a key component of the tourism mix in the Tri-Cities, drawing thousands of folks on a busy weekend and filling hotels and restaurants across all three cities. The Southridge complex will expand that appeal even further, with new, additional facilities to add to our existing sports arenas, good weather and other amenities.

The Southridge sports complex will hint at even bigger things to come for the region and hopefully spur some developers who have been talking about the area but not acting thus far.

The city is using a $12.5 million grant to build roads and other amenities for development, further adding to the appeal.

Other cities and ports have seen the payoff in creating turn-key developments. A successful example can be seen under way in the Spaulding Business Park. It seemed a little slow to get momentum with just a few early tenants. Now it's a full-on construction zone.

Kennewick has laid the groundwork and is investing in the sports complex at Southridge. Now the city just needs some builders who can walk the walk, instead of just talking the talk.

This story was originally published July 18, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Southridge complex is starting something big ...."