Construction + Real Estate
K-12 education: New schools open as Tri-Cities grows
As the Tri-City’s population climbs toward 300,000, its three school districts continue to work to keep pace with it. Student enrollment numbers for 2018-19 put Kennewick’s student enrollment at 19,750 students; Pasco’s at 18,774; and Richland’s at 14,204, according to data from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Voters seem to understand the…
Higher education: New academic, rec buildings coming to Tri-City campuses
Continued growth at the higher education campuses in the Tri-Cities will be moving forward at a steady clip in the coming year. At Washington State University Tri-Cities, the school is proceeding with plans to build a 40,000-square-foot academic building for undergraduate studies in biology, chemistry and education in science, technology and math—or STEM studies. Columbia…
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…
Residential growth: climbing costs hinder homebuyers
A competitive sellers’ market in the Tri-Cities is creating bidding wars and raising prices of not only resale homes, but also the price of lots for new construction. Dave Retter, owner of Retter & Co. Sotheby’s International in Kennewick, said it’s not rare for a house to be listed at $190,000 and sell for $200,000…
Commercial real estate: local businesses drive development
Despite quick turnover of limited commercial real estate inventory and an ongoing demand for construction services, the Tri-City commercial real estate market continues to boom. “There is definitely a steady volume of construction that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon,” said Scott Howard, executive director of the Tri-City Construction Council, the region’s plan…
City of Kennewick: Southridge shows no signs of slowing
Commercial and residential growth remains strong in Kennewick, especially in the Southridge area, but city officials say its other areas also are seeing their fair share of activity. “The growth in Kennewick has been pretty strong in the last few years,” said Wes Romine, development services manager for the city of Kennewick. Commercial development is…
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…
City of Pasco: growth spurs economic development
By Arielle Dreher The city of Pasco is running out of room. So much so that the city has asked Franklin County to expand by more than 4,800 acres north of the current city limits. The growth in population is fueling large home developments as well as new school construction in the city. Pasco, population…
City of West Richland: ‘bedroom community’ expands west
At 15,320 citizens strong, West Richland is looking to its undeveloped western end of town as the focus for future growth. “The center of town is pretty much built out,” said Aaron Lambert, West Richland’s community development director. What feels like the center of town for West Richland tends to be the area near Yoke’s…
Port of Kennewick: progress continues on Columbia Gardens, Vista Field
The Port of Kennewick’s two biggest development projects aim to turn high-profile properties into thriving, multi-use areas that offer a sense of community. The port plans to seek bids by the end of 2018 for the first phase of the Vista Field redevelopment project, while the construction of infrastructure to support the second phase of…
