New urgent care clinic plans 2 Tri-Cities locations

Two new urgent care clinics are set to come to the Tri-Cities later this year. 

MultiCare Health System will be opening Indigo Urgent Care clinics in Richland and Kennewick, offering both in-person and virtual health care access.

The clinic treats minor injuries and illnesses, including sore throats, ear infections, allergies, rashes, sprains and minor fractures, and also offers virtual behavioral health services for depression and anxiety. 

The Richland location will be at 3155 Duportail St., next door to FiiZ Drinks, and is expected to open this fall. A $602,434 permit to construct a shell space was issued in late June. 

The Kennewick clinic will be at 6821 Canal Drive, next door to Outback Steakhouse, and is scheduled to open in the winter of 2025.

Indigo Urgent Care clinics have family-friendly exam suites, on-site X-ray and lab testing, and can perform minor procedures like stitches. Appointments can be made online for same-day or next-day visits, and walk-ins are also welcome. 

Indigo has in-person and virtual hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., including holidays. 

While Indigo accepts most insurances, it also offers a cash pay option for those without insurance. 

The addition of two Tri-Cities locations will bring the total number of Indigo Urgent Care clinics in Washington to 49. Currently, the closest clinic is in Yakima.

Go to: indigohealth.com.

WA sees nation’s biggest drop in construction jobs

Washington state added a few thousand construction jobs in May compared to April this year, but the state still has had the largest percentage drop in those jobs compared to a year ago. 

A recent analysis of federal labor data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) showed that Washington state’s construction labor force is down 5%, or 11,200 jobs, compared to the same time in 2024. 

The Tri-Cities, however, is bucking that trend. The state Employment Security Department recorded the region as having 11,900 construction jobs in May, up from 11,600 the prior month and 11,200 a year ago. 

California lost the most construction jobs overall in the past year at 13,800 positions, representing 1.5% of its construction labor force. 

AGC officials noted that while there were some gains in construction jobs over the past month around the country, they are muted and states that have seen losses are struggling to recover because of current economic and political conditions. 

“Uncertainty over tariffs, immigration, federal funding, taxes and other policy shifts is causing many types of projects to be put on hold across the country,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist, in a statement.

Kennewick false fire alarm ordinance now in effect

Commercial property owners in Kennewick may want to be sure their fire alarms are properly set up and working to avoid a potential fine from the city. 

An ordinance approved by the Kennewick City Council this spring will allow the city to penalize business owners when the city’s firefighters are required to respond to four or more false fire alarms at the same location within a rolling 180-day period.  

Business owners face a $500 fine for the initial violation of the ordinance, $1,000 for the second and $1,500 for all subsequent violations. 

Kennewick firefighters responded to 237 unintentional commercial fire alarms in 2024, three quarters of them due to system malfunctions, according to the Kennewick Fire Department. Of those, 16 addresses had four or more unintentional activations and fire officials said nine would qualify for penalties under the code amendment. 

“The purpose of this change is not to generate revenue, but to ensure fire alarm systems are properly used and maintained,” the city said in a release.

The change took effect July 1.

At least one Tri-Cities Rite Aid to become CVS

The Tri-Cities’ only nearly-24-hour pharmacy will become a CVS in mid-August as Rite Aid closes its other locations in the region as it moves through bankruptcy. 

A sign in a window at the Rite Aid located at 101 N. Ely St. in Kennewick indicates that the location will continue to operate as a Rite Aid pharmacy until Aug. 13, when it will become a CVS. No other information about the change, including operating hours, was available. 

A bankruptcy judge previously approved a sale agreement that would have rival pharmacy retailer CVS purchase the prescription files of 625 Rite Aid pharmacies across 15 states where CVS also provides services, as well as 64 Rite Aid stores in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. 

Stores at the intersections of Lee Boulevard and Stevens Drive in Richland, and Gage Boulevard and Steptoe Street in Kennewick have closed. The store at George Washington Way and Van Giesen Street in Richland will be open through July 22.

According to a public database of pharmacy closures, records from the closing Kennewick store will be transferred to the CVS operating inside the Target at 1106 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Rite Aid’s Richland customers will have their pharmacy records transferred to the Target CVS location at 2941 Queensgate Drive. 

No information about Rite Aid’s Pasco store at 1308 N. 20th Ave. was available via the bankrupt pharmacy chain’s court filings nor its pharmacy closures database.

New tenant coming to Party City space in Queensgate

A discount retailer new to the Tri-Cities is set to move into the former Party City space in Richland’s Queensgate shopping district. 

Philadelphia-based Five Below acquired 44 of Party City’s building leases when they were sold at auction as the company was dissolved through bankruptcy earlier this year, according to ConnectCRE. That included the Richland store and six other locations in Washington state which the company, which currently has no Pacific Northwest presence, will use to expand into the region. 

A Five Below representative confirmed to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business that its Richland store has a tentative opening date of Oct. 24. 

“This date is subject to change, as construction does have its hiccups,” the representative said in a statement.

A permit for $110,000 in tenant improvements was issued June 2 for an interior remodel to include new interior partitions, four sets of new doors, a new manager’s office and glazing infill. A $5,000 permit for interior demolition to remove walls, doors, frames and enclosures, shelving and storage fixtures was also issued June 2.

The company has more than 1,800 stores nationwide with most of its items priced between $1 and $5 and some above $5 in categories such as crafts, home decor, technology and sports. Five Below’s Sales in fiscal year 2024 were $3.88 billion.

Mental health walk-in clinic opens in Kennewick

Oasis Behavioral Health has opened a new Emergency Mental Health Walk-In Clinic at 5101 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick. 

The clinic provides urgent and timely access to behavioral health services for those with a mental health crisis. It’s designed as an alternative treatment setting for those who need same-day intervention or when individuals are unable to see their provider for an extended period of time.

Oasis Behavioral Health is committed to providing comprehensive mental health services, including medication management, crisis management, psychiatric evaluations, individual and group therapy, options for treatment-resistant depression, addiction treatment, mental health counseling, and medication-assisted therapy. 

Oasis also has a satellite clinic at 145 SW Fourth St. in Hermiston. 

Go to: oasisbehavioral.org.

National used car dealer plans $1M store in Richland

CarMax Auto Superstores Inc. plans to build a used auto sales and service building at 1261 Tapteal Drive in Richland.

A permit filed with the city of Richland puts the value of the project at just over $1 million.

The contractor for the 4,587-square-foot project is T.D. Farrell Construction Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia.

The property is just down the road from Kohl’s, next door to the new LivAway Suites hotel.

CarMax, based in Richmond, Virginia, operates five stores in Washington, all located in Spokane and Western Washington. Richland will be the first in the area.

The used car company plans to open 10 locations in fiscal year 2026, including six stores and four stand-alone reconditioning/auction centers, according to a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

CarMax bills itself as the “nation’s largest retailer of used cars” through its physical stores and online sales. The company is publicly traded and its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol KMX.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business first reported in 2022 that the company planned to come to the area.

New Benton Conservation District office moves forward

The city of West Richland has issued a building permit for Benton Conservation District’s new facility.

The $1.2 million project will be built at 3131 Belmont Blvd., near the city’s administrative offices and Leona Libby Middle School. 

Architectural drawings from Design West indicate the office and meeting space portion of the building would be about 2,200 square feet. The drawings also include a shop space with two 14-foot-tall overhead doors and a storage mezzanine which would add a cumulative 2,500 square feet, but that portion of the building is listed as an alternative bid.

The conservation district currently leases office space at 418 N. Kellogg St. in Kennewick. Buying land and building a facility or finding another facility to support its staff and programs is listed as a goal to achieve by 2025 in the conservation district’s long-range plan.

Southridge pizzeria calls it quits after 12 years

Hellfired Pizza has closed its doors for good after 12 years, citing persistent financial challenges. 

The Kennewick restaurant spent most of its time operating as The Rock Wood Fired Pizza until a name change more than a year ago. Its owners said in a statement that the decision to close came “despite a strong effort to rebrand, rebuild and retain staff through a difficult economy.” 

The restaurant at 4862 W. Hildebrand Blvd., which is two-story and covers more than 8,000 square feet, remains fully equipped and available for lease, according to a release. Leasing details were not immediately available. 

“This closure is part of a broader wind-down of our restaurant group, and while it’s bittersweet, we’re hopeful the space will find new life with another operator,” said Brad Loucks, a company representative, in a statement. “It’s turnkey-ready and still in great shape.”