Over $1 billion in Tri-Cities construction in 2022. What’s coming next?

The Tri-Cities saw permits for more than a billion dollars in planned construction work issued in 2022 for the fourth year running.

Commercial construction accounts for about $670 million of the $1.06 billion in value through the end of November.

While that’s down from 2021, it’s still double what the Tri-Cities saw five years ago. In 2017, permits issued, including residential, only amounted to $763 million through November.

Thanks to a variety of ongoing major developments, the Tri-Cities is primed for another blockbuster year.

Amazon

By far the biggest project of the past year was the two new massive Amazon warehouses in Pasco, clocking in at more than 1-million square feet each.

Originally slated for a Fall 2022 opening, the online retailer pushed back its opening date as part of a nationwide expansion slowdown.

Though the exterior work at the warehouses is largely done, crews are currently working on fire controls and HVAC systems, according to the most recent building permits issued by the city of Pasco. Both warehouses also will have complex inventory management systems built closer to opening.

Amazon has been mum on details since announcing the delays over the summer, but initial estimates put the potential opening at sometime in Spring 2023.

They are expected to put a combined 2,800 vehicles on roadways daily in the Tri-Cities. Most of the traffic will be from employees, with about 1,500 people working at the new warehouses. There will be a total of about 650 trucks in and out of the warehouses.

The eastern warehouse — or Project Oyster at 1361 S. Road 40 East — sits on 162 acres and will handle smaller goods such as household items, books, toys and technology. Oyster is the larger of the two projects. It isn’t just a slightly larger footprint though, the inside will have an additional 252,000 square feet of space on a mezzanine level.

The western warehouse, which is directly across the street at 1202 S. Road 40 East, is known as Project Pearl. It sits on 104 acres. It will hold larger items such as furniture, outdoor equipment, as well as large packages of paper goods and pet supplies.

One project Amazon seems to be moving forward with is new data centers in Boardman, Ore., about 50 miles southwest of the Tri-Cities.

The company recently began negotiating with the city to bring as many as five new data centers to that area, which would effectively double the current footprint, according to a report by the Oregonian.

The Department of Environmental Quality recently opened a comment period for one of the proposed new facilities.

Tarragon warehouses

The land next to the new Amazon warehouses on Road 40 E in Pasco could become home to a warehouse park rivaling the size of Amazon’s facilities.

Seattle-based Tarragon’s warehouse project is still in the early stages. It appears the company is still going through the environmental impact review.

The documents state that they intend to begin construction as soon as city permitting is approved.

The industrial park with four large warehouses and four smaller ones will go in across from Lake View Mobile Home Park, just south of Amazon’s massive complex.

It will extend from Amazon’s Project Pearl on the west side of Road 40, down to the railroad tracks that run along East Crane Street to the intersection of Sacajawea Park Road, show documents filed under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA).

On the western end of the property they’ll build the two largest warehouses at 550,000 and 588,000 square feet. Two 404,000-square-foot warehouses will take up the center of the property and four smaller 63,600-square-foot warehouses will go along Road 40 East.

The entire site is about 111 acres.

In all, they’ll be creating a planned, nearly 2.2 million square feet of warehouse space, according to the SEPA application.

They estimate the warehouses, once complete, would employ between 750 and 1,450 workers.

Aquatic center

Voters approved a 0.2% sales tax increase in Pasco last April to pay for a new aquatic facility. That amounts to 2 cents being collected on a $10 purchase, and is expected to raise $40 million to build and operate the facility.

Since the vote passed, the Pasco Public Facilities District board has been busy laying the groundwork for the project.

As proposed, the facility will be built on about 4.6 acres — including an indoor leisure pool, outdoor activity pool, a party room, classroom, outdoor concessions and locker rooms.

The next phase would see an 8-lane, 25-yard indoor competition pool added.

Over the past decade there have been many locations proposed for the facility, but none have been decided on yet. They hope to have the park open by October 2024, which means a land deal and groundwork could begin in mid-to-late 2023.

LifeQuest officials have expressed interest in a partnership, and location possibly near the HAPO Center and the Pasco Sporting Complex.

While the location is certainly convenient, board members were concerned about access off one of the busiest and congested stretches of road in the Tri-Cities at the intersection of Road 68 and Burden Boulevard, north of the Interstate 182 interchange.

A 5-acre parcel off Broadmoor and Chapel Hill Boulevard was also mentioned as under consideration.

The PFD plans to host a series of public input meetings in early 2023.

Darigold

Darigold broke ground on its new Pasco processing facility in September. The company is referring to it as Project Cascade in documents.

The plant will create 200 direct jobs and 1,000 support positions making specialized protein powder and butter.

Officials with the company estimate the plant will be a $600 million investment. The Port of Pasco has taken on about $20 million in infrastructure work already, with the help of a state grant, as well as a Tax Increment Financing Agreement.

The company put in permits for $14 million worth of foundation work in December, estimating the facility will come in at just under half a million square feet.

About half of the 400,000-square foot facility’s products are expected to be exported, particularly to Pacific Rim countries.

They hope to have the plant complete by the end of 2023, putting most of the half billion dollars worth of work squarely within 2023.

Reser’s plant

Reser’s Fine Foods opened a new Pasco plant in September, but they’re not done yet.

An expansion already is in the works and will add an estimate 70,000 square feet for hot food processing capabilities.

Now that the employees have shifted to the new facility, the old one will be remodeled, eventually bringing Reser’s up to about 350,000 square feet of processing in Pasco, representing an investment of more than $120 million.

The new 170,000-square-foot facility is set up for producing potato salads, mashed potatoes and macaroni.

Vista Field

Over the summer the Port of Kennewick officially listed lots for sale at Vista Field.

The port hopes to see the new development become something of a regional town center for the Tri-Cities.

Located just east of the Toyota Center, the former airport has 20 acres of development-ready lots listed. The port hopes to see significant mixed-use development beginning over the next couple years.

Badger Mountain South

One of the fastest growing areas in the Tri-Cities is set to bring in even more homes in 2023. Not only that, but it’s also ready to start bringing in commercial development, including retail and restaurants.

Work is currently underway to cut Gage Boulevard through to the 1,500-acre Badger Mountain South development in Richland. With nearly 1,000 homes already built, the area is primed for dining and shopping.

Over the next year, work will begin on the retail and commercial area around Country Mercantile, as well as infrastructure work on the other side of Dallas Road for what is being billed as “destination retail.”

Kadlec Regional Medical Center also owns a 5-acre parcel in the development, and land is set aside for future Richland schools.

West Richland

More than 7,700 acres of the Lewis and Clark Ranch is within West Richland city limits, accounting for roughly half of the city’s size. That land is set to be developed in the coming decades, starting with 750 acres near Ruppert Road and Highway 224.

West Richland began the process of rezoning the entire tract in early 2022, in order to get a clear picture of what future infrastructure work will be needed.

The first 750 acres are expected to bring 3,000 homes, single-family and multifamily, and a commercial area about the same size as Richland’s Queensgate.

A draft of the anticipated development is expected around March, with groundwork beginning as soon as summer.

Old Trapper

East Pasco isn’t the only place seeing industrial growth.

Over the summer beef jerky maker Old Trapper bought 20 acres of land in the Horn Rapids industrial area of Richland.

Old Trapper agreed to pay $1.3 million for the land, and plans to build a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that will employ about 100 people.

It will be a significant increase to their current manufacturing capacity of 110,000 square feet, according to a letter sent to the city of Richland.

Southridge

With the roadwork at Hildebrand Boulevard and Highway 395 complete, work has already started on several new projects in the Southridge area.

A new mixed-use building with a 3,000-square-foot urgent care is being built just behind Bob’s Burgers and Brews.

Nearby, a new four-story 55-and-older community is shaping up.

Kennewick Retirement Residence, at the northwest Corner of Hildebrand Boulevard, will feature 149 suites.

The company is owned by Hawthorn Senior Living out of Vancouver. The community will offer all-inclusive living for retirees.

The complex will include amenities such as housekeeping, chef-cooked meals, activities, maintenance and dedicated space for medical contractors. Units will range from 400-square-foot studios to 1,100-square-foot, 2-bedroom apartments.