A Kennewick-based commercial metal stud and drywall contractor is making plans to move its headquarters to a long vacant West Richland building. 

Headed by the Detrick family, D9 Contractors is looking to move its offices to the nearly 34,000-square-foot building at 2943 Belmont Blvd., West Richland. 

7D Development at Belmont Building LLC, a company tied to D9 Contractors, bought the building from developer Ron Asmus for $4.75 million in February. 

Asmus acquired the building in 2017 from SSC North America LLC, which once planned to build a manufacturing center, showroom and museum for its exotic supercars. Instead, a  lawsuit followed and the building has remained vacant.

Mike Detrick Sr., one of the building owners, said that the building will house D9 Contractors’ offices in the future. 

The move won’t happen for at least another year, Detrick said. The Belmont Boulevard building is only a shell, so tenant improvements will need to take place before it can be used as office space. 

Detrick said that the company plans to occupy about 50% of the building and find a tenant for the other half. 

It won’t necessarily be an expansion: Detrick said that the company has roughly the same amount of space it has in their current building at 333 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick. D9’s warehouse facility will remain in that building when the offices move to West Richland. 

Detrick said that the Belmont Boulevard building is an investment property and highlighted the growth West Richland has seen in that area. 

“It’s going to get busier as time goes by,” he said. 

Across the street from the D9 building, construction is underway on a building for Richland restaurant La Bella Vita Kitchen and Bar, and a Planet Fitness gym is planned nearby. 

The growing area is also home to the second location of Miss Tamale and a Dutch Bros Coffee, with West Richland’s city offices, Libby Middle School, and a new building for the Benton County Conservation District close by. 

Heritage University

D9 Contractors owns its current office building in Kennewick. Once home to the Tri-City Herald, the Detricks bought the building in 2019. The Herald left the building in 2020 for a smaller office in the Southridge area of Kennewick. 

In 2023, Toppenish-based Heritage University moved its regional site to the downtown Kennewick building, expanding its offerings to freshmen and sophomores as well as expanding degree options. The university was set to occupy 10,000 to 12,000 square feet of space. 

Detrick said that as Heritage’s enrollment picks up and D9 moves out of the space, the university can grow its space within the building. 

“We are very hopeful about the opportunity to expand our presence in the Tri-Cities as we continue to grow our student body in the region,” said David Wise, senior vice president for advancement, marketing and admissions at Heritage, in a statement. “Additional space at our current Kennewick location would provide us with greater flexibility to meet the needs of current and future students.”

It’s still too early for specific plans, he said, but the university is excited about the memorandum of understanding it signed with the city of Kennewick in May, establishing a university district in downtown Kennewick. 

The agreement highlights the organizations’ partnership and provides opportunities to serve students and bolster the downtown community.  

D9 projects

While permits have not yet been issued for D9’s West Richland building, the contractor has been plenty busy with other projects. 

Dirt is moving at 107855 E. Detrick PR SE in Benton County, near Highway 82 and the Quake Family Fun Center, for indoor pickleball facility The Flying Pickle. It’s set to be a 54,000-square-foot facility with 18 to 20 pickleball courts. An $8.8 million permit for the building was issued in May. 

Detrick said that the company hopes to complete that construction within 12 to 14 months. 

Immediately to the northeast, D9 also finished work on a new building for Williams Pipeline, an 18,000-square-foot warehouse and office facility.