Development of an in-demand industrial park north of Pasco is picking up speed.

Port of Pasco commissioners recently awarded a contract for the first phase of a rail track to be laid at the Reimann Industrial Center.

Kennewick’s Goodman and Mehlenbacher Enterprises Inc., also called GAME Inc., is the contractor for the $3.98 million project, which is anticipated to take about four months. The project came in below the engineer’s estimated cost of $5.8 million to $6.4 million.

The port also is teaming up with one of its newest tenants, Cold Summit, to pursue $5 million in joint loan and grant funding from the state’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to expand Reimann’s water system.

“Reimann we thought would be a 20-year build-out but it’s looking more like a five- or 10-year build-out,” Adam Lincoln, the port’s executive director, recently told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

The port established the industrial park in 2019.

Reimann covers 300 acres north of Pasco – with 150 acres available for development – and is touted by the port as an ideal location for industries such as food processing, advanced manufacturing, cold storage and distribution and logistics.

Port officials have not struggled to find tenants. Darigold recently began operations of its milk processing facility. Darigold’s logistics partner, LTI Inc., a member of the Lynden family of companies, bought 14 acres at Reimann in January 2025.

Cold Summit announced plans to buy 30 acres in April, making it the future site of its only Pacific Northwest facility.

Bringing increased rail access to the southern portion of the property is crucial to supporting future tenants, Lincoln said.

GAME Inc. will build a railroad roadbed and lay track, as well as install an at-grade railroad crossing with signals at Railroad Avenue.

Lincoln said the port’s good working relationship with BNSF Railway also will help the project move smoothly.

BNSF Railway designated the Reimann Industrial Center as one of its certified sites in 2022 through a rigorous process that identifies “optimal rail-served sites” via an in-depth review process. According to BNSF’s website, the certified site designation helps its freight customers reduce development time, increase speed to market and diminish upfront development risk at rail-served industrial sites.

But rail isn’t the only infrastructure still needed in portions of the industrial park. The port has worked with J-U-B Engineers to design the layout of water lines to serve the northern 164 acres of the industrial park.

Port staff said CERB’s Committed Private Partner Program could cover the bulk of the cost of project. If awarded, the port would receive $3.75 million as a loan, with an interest rate between 1% and 3% for a term up to 20 years, and $1.25 million as a grant. The port would be required to provide matching funds of $2.64 million for the balance of the project’s cost.

To be eligible, applicants must provide evidence that private development is ready to occur and contingent on CERB awarding the funds for the project.

The project also must create a significant number of permanent jobs or significant private capital investment in the community. Any newly created jobs must have median hourly wages above the countywide median wage.

Cold Summit has not announced a timeline for its future facility at Reimann, nor shared details of the size and design of the facility. One of the company’s two facilities in Dallas was built on a similarly-sized parcel of land in 2021. It is 343,000 square feet and cost about $60 million to construct.

“We have a strong belief in the Tri-Cities market and look forward to engaging more directly with local officials and businesses now that the land sale is approved and we move into the entitlement process,” Jason Fincher, a Cold Summit official, said in a statement when the company bought its land at Reimann. He added that Cold Summit is “eager to speak with local companies to better understand their requirements and to design a facility that supports their success.”  

CERB has supported other port efforts, including a current mission to fill the gap left by Lamb Weston in Connell where it closed one of its processing plants, costing hundreds their jobs and the city significant tax and fee revenue.

Stephen McFadden, the port’s director of economic development and marketing, said the port also had strong support from CERB on a similar project at the Tri-Cities Airport that expanded infrastructure at the Airport Business Center.