West Richland used to be something of a “sleepy bedroom community,” in the words of its community and economic development director. But in recent years, it’s seen commercial development pick up.

Several projects are in the works or being planned, from a new Dutch Bros. location to Benton Rural Electric Association’s new headquarters. 

Richland School District also plans to build a new high school in the city if a funding measure passes at the ballot box.

Meanwhile, single-family home construction has slowed some, but multifamily home construction has been on the rise 

Overall, said Eric Mendenhall, the community and economic development director, “the future is bright” for West Richland, population 18,280, a 2.5% increase over the previous year.

A $1.1 million day care, ABCDino Academy, is under construction at 2885 Bombing Range Road in West Richland.

| Photo by Nathan Finke

Commercial construction

When it comes to commercial development, the new headquarters for Benton REA is one of the bigger projects on the horizon. The facility is planned for 17 acres on Cooperative Way off Keene Road, near the city’s new police station.

“We’re excited for it. They’re in the permitting phase right now  ... We’re expecting to see permits coming across our counter any day, and that will be a pretty big deal for West Richland because it’ll bring about 70 employees,” Mendenhall said in late August.

He also pointed to the Paradise Way-Bombing Range Road area, around Yoke’s Fresh Market, where “there have been several commercial developments that have gone in and brought some new eateries, professional services, urgent care, dentist, a yoga (studio).”

A new Dutch Bros. location is going in near City Hall and Leona Libby Middle School at Belmont Boulevard and Keene Road. “They’re under construction right now. They’ve been pouring concrete and doing some work,” Mendenhall said.

The permit is for a facility similar to the location on Wellsian Way in Richland, with a drive-in shop with an attached commercial suite for another user, he told the Journal of Business.

The Benton Conservation District also has land at Belmont and Keene and “they’re in permitting to get their facility built,” he said. 

Other commercial activity in the works includes a new LaMarr Business Mall on Van Giesen Street, a daycare facility off Bombing Range Road and a new autobody shop on Kennedy Road. 

The proposed new $232.9 million high school will be built on land behind the Richland School District administration center at 6972 Keene Road.

The school will be the third traditional high school in the district, which includes West Richland. It’s included in the district’s $314 million bond package set for the November ballot.

The new high school “would bring, I believe, a lot of business to town,” Mendenhall said.

Crews prepare the site near the intersection of Keene Road and Ruppert Road in West Richland. | Photo by Scott Butner

Residential construction

In terms of home construction, single-family development has slowed down some in recent years, Mendenhall said. He attributes that at least in part to higher interest rates. 

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered around 7% for much of 2023; it’s on the decline now, down to 6.2% as of the first week of September, according to Freddie Mac.

In terms of permit numbers, West Richland had issued 71 single-family home permits valued at more than $18 million for 2024 as of the end of August. That was up from last year, when the city had issued 42 single-family permits for the same time period, but down over the two previous years.

Meanwhile, the slowdown in single-family housing “really pushed multifamily development to go on the rise,” Mendenhall said.

“The Tri Cities is in need of housing,” he said. “I see the trend pushing more towards multifamily, and (in) single-family I’m also seeing a push for more nontraditional single-family homes, such as a townhouse development.”

In fact, several multifamily projects are in various stages of development in the city, from permitting to construction, according to information from Mendenhall. They range from the 20-unit Paradise Townhomes to the 88-unit Southeast Quads Apartments.

Mendenhall said his city is focusing on thoughtful growth.

“(We) want to make sure we grow in a smart way, so that we don’t end up having traffic congestion, that we don’t have uses that will negatively impact our community,” he said. “I think both from the city council and our community standpoint, they want to make sure that we’re smart about how we look forward to the growth.”