Documents filed under Washington’s environmental review process reveal a list of projects in the works for the Mid-Columbia. 

The State Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, often provides the first look at the mixed-use projects, mini-storage facilities, apartments, industrial expansions, subdivisions and more that are working their way through the various planning departments of Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties. 

Here’s a look at projects that appeared in the SEPA register in the past month.  

Best Western Hotel site review

Richland

Knutzen Engineering has submitted an application for a site plan review for the development of a Best Western Hotel at 3090 Keene Road. The hotel is set to have a floor area of 80,000 square feet and 110 rooms, with 110 parking spaces required. 

Prosser development

Prosser

Nathan Machiela has submitted plans to develop two parcels totaling 23.63 acres and subdivide them into four commercial lots. The first lot, east of the junction of Wittkopf Loop and Wine Country Road, will be a 6.3-acre dry box storage facility with a small office and storage units. The second lot, on the north side of Wine Country Road, will be developed as a mini-storage facility with guest parking for administration and secured RV and boat parking within a fenced area.

Lots three and four, directly north and east of the first lot, will be graded light industrial lots reserved for future development. The whole site will be graded to remove vegetation and mitigate steep slopes. The site will be accessed by a new private road extending east from the junction of Wine Country Road and Wittkopf Loop, terminating in a cul de sac.

Water transmission pipeline

Kennewick

City of Kennewick Public Works has submitted plans to install a 20-inch water transmission at 1600 S. Irving St., between the 18th Avenue and Kellogg Reservoir and the Kansas Reservoir.

Ziply Fiber broadband

Benton County

Ziply Fiber has submitted plans to co-locate a new broadband fiber cable line on an existing telecom facility spanning the Yakima River and anchored by existing utility poles. The project requires a shoreline substantial development permit and is located at the east end of Babs Avenue in Benton City.

Sewer line extension

West Richland

City of West Richland Public Works has submitted plans to expand its sewer system at 7655 W. Van Giesen St., with the new line set to tie into the existing sewer system and service a large area within the urban growth boundary.

The project will include installing 5,905 linear feet of 8-inch diameter PVC sewer pipe, 1,233 linear feet of 10-inch diameter PVC sewer pipe, 210 linear feet of 16-inch diameter steel casing bored under Keene Road, 23 new manholes, site restoration, trench dewatering and other work. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2026 and be completed by spring 2027. Development is expected to take place on the surrounding land.

Friends Corner gas station

West Richland

Clover Planning & Zoning LLC has submitted plans to build a Friends Corner gas station and convenience store on the south side of West Van Giesen Street east of Bombing Range Road. The store will be 4,000 square feet, and the project will include a fuel canopy and pumps, associated underground storage tanks and other site improvements. The land is zoned downtown mixed-use.

Portable rock crushing facility

Benton County Clean Air Agency

Premier Excavation Inc. has submitted a proposal to install and operate a portable rock crushing facility at 703 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. The project must be reviewed by the Benton County Clean Air Agency to ensure the facility operates in compliance with local, state and federal clean air regulations.

Canal grading

Kennewick Irrigation District

Kennewick Irrigation District has submitted plans to decommission four existing main canal siphons and re-align and reconstruct the canal prism of the main canal. Upon siphon decommissioning, the main canal will be realigned and re-graded to build an open channel canal within the area of the decommissioned siphons. A concrete access ramp will be installed within the canal at the removed siphons to provide vehicular access, a safe stormwater discharge point into the canal and safe exit point from the canal for trapped animals.

Areas of the canal prism outside of a concrete structure will be lined with high-density polyethylene, and the existing concrete lined section of the canal adjacent to Webber Canyon Road will be raised and lined with HDPE. A new turnout and 16-inch delivery pipe will be installed.

The project will take place along the main canal between mile post 7.2 and 10.4.

Schneider grading

Benton County

Schneider Construction has submitted plans to grade an acre at 38714 W. Old Inland Empire Highway, Benton City. About 2,000 cubic yards of fill will be brought in to establish a building pad for future residential construction.

Cottonwood Run

Benton County

Ira Hickman has submitted plans to subdivide 19.78 acres at 103394 E. Kash Loop into 12 lots.

Raw water permanganate system

Pasco

The city of Pasco has submitted plans to build an 80-square-foot vault to be placed above and around the city’s existing 36-inch raw water line at 1330 S. 12th Ave. Two one-inch lines will connect with the raw water line: one will be a sampling line, and the other will be a sodium permanganate dosing line. Two smaller lines will connect into a conex box on site, which will be updated to include storage for the sodium permanganate, as well as the pipes for the two lines.

Sandifur gas station, car wash

Pasco

Shane O’Neil has submitted plans to build a 4,446-square-foot convenience store, a 2,688-square-foot fuel canopy and a carwash with four self-serve bays and one touchless carwash bay at 5525 Outlet Drive.

Ringold Springs Hatchery

WA Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has submitted plans to install three new 20-foot by 120-foot raceways in the footprint of the existing west pond at 1871 Ringold River Road, Mesa. The existing 12 vinyl-lined raceways, 8 feet by 80 feet, will be replaced with 12 concrete-lined raceways, 10 feet by 90 feet.

These rearing ponds are important to current and future production at Ringold. The current rearing pond is not being used due to fish health issues, primarily botulism. Botulism pathogens can stay in the soil long after water has been drained from the pond. Efforts have been made to address the issue by tilling the soil and applying lime and other chemicals, but they have been unsuccessful. The ponds will be used for rearing steelhead, coho and potentially fall Chinook.

Reimann subdivision/rezone

Franklin County

Port of Pasco has submitted plans to rezone 18.3 acres of a parcel at 8924 N. Railroad Ave., Pasco, from agricultural production to general industrial. The rest of the parcel is zoned general industrial. The port also plans to subdivide the 161-acre parcel into an 8-lot industrial center with access from Railroad Avenue.

The project includes developing infrastructure for the lots, including about 9,000 linear feet of roadway improvements; 11,000 linear feet of 16-inch water main, 5,000 linear feet of 12-inch water main and water connection to the city of Pasco; electrical and broadband connections to Franklin PUD; communications systems connections to Century link; and on-site septic systems.

About 8,300 track feet of rail spur will be installed from a connection point with BNSF’s existing yard trackage into and through the Reimann Industrial Center, which includes about 4,800 linear feet of trackside access road. The rail spur project includes a signalized railroad crossing at the intersection with Railroad Avenue.

Lower Snake River dredging

Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has submitted plans to conduct maintenance dredging activities at up to 14 Corps-managed boat basins or boat ramps along the lower Snake River in Columbia, Franklin, Whitman, Garfield and Asotin counties. The project is intended to restore authorized design depths, ensure safe and reliable recreational navigation, maintain public access and support basin functionality. The project will use a combination of mechanical and hydraulic methods, and includes the transport of dredged material to designated upland drying areas and final disposal sites above the ordinary high-water mark and outside of wetland boundaries.

ARG Industrial

Pasco

Brandon Votaw has submitted plans to build a 25,800-square-foot pre-engineered metal building for ARG Industrial off East Adams Street between North Railroad Avenue and North Rainier Avenue.