Parade of Homes tour set for Sept. 13 and 16-17

The 2023 Parade of Homes will showcase eight new Tri-City homes and runs from 1-7 p.m. Sept. 13 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 16-17.

The Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities event presents the latest in construction, architectural trends, design and decor.

Four of the homes are in Richland, three are in Kennewick and one is in West Richland.

This year’s builders are Titan Homes LLC, North Custom Homes, Riverwood Homes Washington LLC, Prodigy Homes Inc., Hayden Homes and JK Monarch LLC.

Last year the Parade event featured four homes.

Tickets for the home tours are available at local Circle K stores for $10 and include admission to each of the homes.

The Parade of Homes magazine is inserted into the September edition of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and offers detailed information about the tour, including home locations.

A virtual tour of a home built by Lexar Homes starts Sept. 18 at paradeofhomestricities.com.

Go to: hbatc.com.

Mortgage rates nationwide continue to remain above 7%

 The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.12% nationwide on Sept. 7, marking the fourth consecutive week they’ve hovered over 7%.

A year ago at the same time, the 30-year rate averaged 5.89%.

“The economy remains buoyant, which is encouraging for consumers. Though while inflation has decelerated, firmer economic data have put upward pressure on mortgage rates which, in the face of affordability challenges, are straining potential homebuyers,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, in a statement.

Pain management clinic closes abruptly

A Tri-Cities-based pain management clinic’s abruptly closed its Kennewick and Spokane Valley offices, affecting about 2,000 patients, the majority of whom receive treatment for chronic pain management and a smaller number who are treated for opioid addiction.

Lynx Healthcare closed Sept. 8.

State agencies are working with health plans and community organizations to ensure the clinic’s patients do not experience disruption in care, but said due to the suddenness of the closure, some may have trouble finding new providers.

Lynx Healthcare could not be reached for comment about the closure.

Builders urge group to reject energy code requirements

The Building Industry Association of Washington urges the State Building Code Council to reject high-priced energy code requirements, to adopt a more flexible approach and to preserve energy choice in advance of the council’s Sept. 15 meeting.

“The code proposals before the council continue to make it too cost-prohibitive for homeowners and businesses to have the natural gas appliances many prefer and need,” said Greg Lane, BIAW executive vice president.

The council will consider modifying codes adopted earlier this year restricting natural gas in new construction. Those codes limit access to natural gas for cooking and heating, resulting in higher prices for new homes in Washington.

After the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the city of Berkeley’s natural gas ban, the council voted to delay code implementation to Oct. 29. The delay allowed it to consider revisions to better align with federal laws.

Go to: biaw.com.

Coyote Ridge to open up 256 beds for inmates

 Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell plans to open a residential unit with 256 beds for higher-custody level inmates later this year.

It’s part of the state Department of Corrections’ “best beds project” to ensure all inmates get appropriate housing assignments when the Larch Corrections Center in Yacolt, located outside of Vancouver, closes in October.

The department decided to close Larch because of changes in sentencing laws. Projections also showed the minimum-security beds there were not needed for the foreseeable future.

Nordstrom Rack opens Sept. 14 in Union Gap

Nordstrom Inc. will open Nordstrom Rack, its discount arm, at Valley Mall in Union Gap on Sept. 14.

The 28,000-square-foot store at 1740 E. Washington Ave. will be the only Nordstrom-branded location in the region. The closest store is currently in Spokane Valley.

The first 500 customers will receive a complimentary tote bag. For details, go to nordstromrack.com/promo/new-store-openings.

About 90% of the same brands available at Nordstrom (Levi’s, Madewell, Topshop, Dr. Martens, On Running, New Balance, Sam Edelman and more) are available at Nordstrom Rack at a discount.

A new rack store opened Sept. 7 in Olympia. A Salem, Oregon, store opens Sept. 21. Seven more stores will open in Texas, California and Kansas locations by November.

At Union Gap, Nordstrom Rack will be a neighbor to Cabela’s, Bath & Body Works and Guitar Center.

With the new stores, Nordstrom will operate 12 Nordstrom Rack stores and six Nordstrom stores in Washington and seven Nordstrom Rack stores and two Nordstrom stores in Oregon.