Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

A Steptoe, as defined as “a hill or mountain that projects like an island above a surrounding lava field” in some ways describes Steptoe Street in Kennewick, and of course in some ways does not – mainly that whole lava field part.  Nonetheless, Steptoe Street has officially begun it’s expansion southward towards Clearwater Avenue as of Tuesday when the groundbreaking was held. This southbound expansion will initially cover some hilly terrain, winding along 1.1 miles as it reaches North Center Parkway.  The second phase will take it upwards to Clearwater Avenue, and the final phase of expansion is to take it all the way to the Southridge area, once again heading up and over the southernly hills.

The hope for this expansion is that it will alleviate congestion on both Leslie Road and Columbia Center Blvd. and additionally allow for greater economic development with transportation flow being a key for sustained growth in Kennewick. This project is currently slated for completion in late summer.

 Oh how we LOVE this time of year here in the beautiful Tri-Cities! The Farmer’s Markets are open and the opportunity for all of us to enjoy the scrumptious fruits, veggies and other homemade goodies is just too exciting to pass up! 

The farmers markets are a wonderful to shop because the produce is local and it’s been freshly picked, which is in contrast to most we find in the grocery stores that have been picked up to a week previously in California, Mexico or even Asia. The nutricious produce is also a boon to local farmers and vendors and supporting them is what makes our Mid-Columbia region’s economy strong. Many times you can actually meet those farmers from our community and strike up a conversation to learn more about their farms.

Here is the schedule for the three Farmer’s Markets in the Tri-Cities:

Pasco Farmers’ Market:  Opened May 1 and runs through October 30th, open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 am until 12 noon. It is located at the corner of South 4th Avenue and West Columbia in downtown Pasco. For information call (509) 545-0738 or visit their websites at: www.pascofarmersmarket.org.  Pasco has the longest established farmers’ market in the area and has been in operation for over 30 years. There is “Music at the Market” with live music and entertainment on Saturday mornings.

Southridge Farmers’ Market in Kennewick: Open June 3rd until October 21st, open Thursdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. It has moved from downtown Kennewick to Southridge Village this year, at the corner of Highway 395 and Hildebrand Way. For more information call (509) 585-2301. Most of the usual vendors and some new ones are looking forward to their “new digs’ at Southridge!

Market at the Parkway in Richland: Open June 4th through October 22nd, open on Fridays from 9 am until 1:00 pm. Located On the Parkway, between Jadwin and George Washington Way. For more information call (509) 967-2587 to speak with Tara or John.  More than 60 vendors are expected. The street is closed which creates a more pedestrian friendly location for shoppers, music is provided from 10:00 am until noon, and some Parkway businesses bring their wares out onto the sidewalk to add to this fun shopping experience.

Please join the farmers, vendors and other shoppers to experience all the fun and freshness that abounds at the Tri-City local Farmers’ Markets and help keep our economy strong!

October 2010 marks the move date for the Z Place Salon & Spa in Kennewick to their new home in the Southridge area of town. This move will allow for a expansion of services as well as more room for staff & clients – approximately 3 times as much room! The groundbreaking for the new building will be Thursday June 3rd at 9 am. The owners, Vonda and Doug Smith, plan to have two other spots in the facility to lease out – with a potential for a restaurant and perhaps a clothing store. The new facility will allow clients from Richland, Pasco and West Richland easier access via the highway to this location, without having to travel through traffic to their current location. Southridge is considered to be the new growth area in the Tri-Cities, with a proposed new restaurant and water park in the works as well as current tenants HAPO Credit Union, KGH medical center, and wine tasting rooms. To visit Z Place online, go to www.zplacesalonspa.com

Creating an environment of cooperation among the 4 cities that encompass the Tri-Cities is the theme that local officials want to encourage, as they addressed the group that attended the 8th annual State of the Cities meeting on Wednesday, at the Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce offices. Growth of the cities has put our area on the map, so to speak and each individual city has outlined the projects that they feel will add to the growth while benefiting it’s citizenry.

Richland has plans of widening Keene Road from Queensgate to West Richland, and adding a spray park to the Badger Mountain Community Park along Keene. They will also work in cooperation with Kennewick to reconstruct Steptoe Street and make a decision about the future location of the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center, among other projects.

Pasco, Kennewick and Richland will work in partnership on the studying the best location for the next bridge crossing the Columbia River.

Pasco officials and the Port of Pasco are looking into the development of the river shoreline east of the cable bridge, additional infrastructure as a support of future growth and industrialization, a $9 million water treatment facility, and the creation of a new overpass at Lewis Street.

Kennewick officials are looking for increased private development of the Vista Entertainment District and to the development of the Southridge area, which they expect will include 60% of the cities future growth.  The city is planning the Bridge-to-Bridge, River-to-Rail effort with the Port of Kennewick, which consists of a major overhaul of the property that lies between the blue and cable bridges.

West Richland is looking to expand the economic base and expand infrastructure between Red and Badger Mountains, and invest in tourism with regards to the wine industry as a way to add to the regional vision, and increase growth in that community.

In a time when costs to each municipality are increasing, funding from the state faces cuts, and the residents want more metropolitan projects, the officials in each city are optimistic about continued growth.  Let’s be optimistic along with them – Time will tell……..

Is this the latest mindset for the council members of Kennewick regarding the Southridge development? It may well work providing the economy holds here, however there is also the possibility that building new infrastructure on the hopes that is spurs new development will fail, and all you have left is a bunch of roads that lead nowhere among the sagebrush.

The anchor to the Southridge development is Kennewick General Hospital’s new 490 million facility, which all of the city’s hopes are hinged on. It is their vision that new commercial and residential development will blossom around the hospital, which could also generate an estimatated $40 million in revenue.

Kennewick is 1 of 5 cities in Washington that was chosen for the Local Revitilization Financing Program, which could bring $12.5 million to the city over 25 years.

So it begs the question, is this the best use of the funds for our city? The discussion among council members continues, and most likely will for some time to come. Personally, this writer thinks its a great idea and that it will entice new developers to come in, but that’s just my humble opinion.

Thursday at 6:30 p.m. is the time and Kennewick City Hall council chamber is the place for a special meeting to answer questions about revitilization of the Southridge area in Kennewick. Many proposed projects are awaiting kick-off for the Southridge area, including the plans for a water park on 395, and are awaiting financing through local revitilization funding from the state.

The meeting will be open to the public although comments from the public are not allowed, as this will be an informational only meeting.