Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Kennewick coffee roaster to expand, open shop in Richland
A massive coffee bean roaster will need to be disassembled and moved to a new building in north Richland when Treasure Valley Coffee of the Columbia Basin opens its new headquarters, along with a retail store, in the Horn Rapids Business Park this summer. The $1.9 million investment includes land bought from the city of…
$1.9M land sale pending for packaging plant
A Midwest paper processing giant is preparing to build a large manufacturing plant in the Horn Rapids area of Richland, bringing with it about 150 family-wage jobs. Packaging Corporation of America, based in Illinois, is set to close on 42 acres in the Horn Rapids Industrial Park. The sale of the city-owned 3003 Kingsgate Way…
New owners of Kennewick apartments to invest $19.8M to overhaul 455 units
A massive remodel totaling $19.8 million in improvements is underway at the Heatherstone Apartments in Kennewick, where work will continue through late spring 2020. All 38 residential buildings will receive interior and exterior renovations, including new roofs, siding, parking lots, garage space and landscaping. For the individual units, tenants will benefit from an overhaul to…
Bath & Body Works store to open in Richland next year
Construction is underway on the Tri-Cities’ second Bath & Body Works store, planned for the Queensgate area of Richland. The company’s corporate office said the store is scheduled to open in early 2019 at 2471 Queensgate Drive, Suite A7. The developer of the Vintner Square property, Bowman Development Co., narrowed the store’s opening date to…
Retail outlook strong for holiday season
Tri-City retailers are optimistic about the upcoming holiday shopping season. “Our market usually outperforms the national trend due to our strong local economy,” said Barbara Johnson, general manager of Columbia Center mall in Kennewick. “It’s always kind of like looking into a crystal ball. I’m expecting consumer spending locally to be up 4.5 percent over…
Kennewick hardware store changing gears after 100 years
The owner of a 100-year-old retail mainstay in downtown Kennewick is winding down operations. “Age and time and generations running out; the business is healthy, happy and doing great, but it’s just time for us to change course,” said John Gravenslund, owner and general manager of True Value Washington Furniture and Hardware. After three generations…
New $3.4M union hall under construction in Kennewick
An expansion plan approved nearly 20 years ago is underway for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. IBEW Local 112 is building a new $3.4 million union hall that includes an auditorium on vacant land at 114 N. Edison St. in Kennewick, just south of West Clearwater Avenue and east of…
Regional Mediterranean restaurants coming soon to the Tri-Cities
The Tri-Cities soon will be welcoming two new Mediterranean restaurants known for their chicken kabobs, gyro sandwiches and shawarma plates. The Kabob House will open in Richland’s Vintner Square at 2762 Duportail St. at the end of November and in Pasco’s Sandifur Crossing at 5802 Road 68 in early spring. The Richland restaurant will be…
Market Overview: Tri-Cities boasts stable economy
More than 1,000 new homes have been built in the Tri-Cities since the start of 2018, but this is barely sustaining an appetite for housing in a market where supply can’t keep up with demand. “We are still in a very hot sellers’ market,” said Lola Franklin, chief executive officer of the Tri-City Association of…
City of Richland: big projects underway in central district
The opening of the Queensgate Drive roundabouts allowed Richland to wrap up one of its major capital projects in 2018, while shifting focus for the next six months on building its new City Hall. The central district is a part of town receiving more attention from the city after a surge of growth in south…
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