Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Tourism is growing in the Tri-Cities.  June saw 11,000 visitors attending 12 sports activities, generating nearly $3 million in revenue for the Kennewick, Pasco and Richland area.  July promises 7 additional sporting events with the likelihood of 8,500 visitors spending more than $2.4 million.  Hector Cruz, sports development manager at the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau indicated that sports organizers appreciate the family-friendly atmosphere of the Tri-City communities.

The Tri-Cities offer close to 3,500 guest rooms for those attending sporting events.  Restaurants and various hospitality businesses partner to offer corresponding discounts to the many visitors who return to the Tri-Cities for a second look after the sporting event is over.  Repeat customers is always a good invitation for staying longer or relocating to the Tri-Cities.  Distinctive Properties, Inc. carries a wide range of listings for homes in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and outlying smaller communities.  We welcome the opportunity to serve new arrivals.

The Bridge-to-Bridge/River-to-Rail riverfront makeover project has unanimously brought the City of Kennewick and Port of Kennewick commissioners together in a spirit of cooperation, thus allowing them to begin the process of creating the vision and planning for the future development of Kennewick’s rivershore. The Port of Kennewick has added many upgrades to the Clover Island area and that will feed into future plans. Both agencies also agreed to work together on how development should proceed for the Vista Field Airport and the adjacent Three Rivers Entertainment District. All of these improvements will add much to the economic stability of the Downtown Kennewick area with upscale real estate developments, tourism, business growth and recreational activities.

Once again the Tri-Cities has resisted the downward trend of property values across the nation, and finds itself in contrast with rising property valuations. Franklin County has been the fastest growing county in the state for the last two years and also one of the fastest growing in the nation. Officials in Franklin County expect values to continue to rise at an average of 3-4 percent as they prepare to mail out revaluation notices within the next month. Benton County anticipates remaining at the current level.

Many other communities within our state are facing devaluation at a significant rate which in turn decreases their tax base. For many its been decades since they’ve lost ground in property valuations. According to a recent market survey in the Tri-Cities, the first quarter of 2010 shows that the median residential resale price encompassing the bicounty area is $176,600, thus being an almost 6 percent increase over the entire year of 2008.

Franklin County continues to see it’s main increase in values due to the development of West Pasco and some large farms. Meanwhile, there are some pockets of decrease in the county, mostly around the Connell area because of unspecified market conditions there.

Much of the success of the Tri-Cities’ ability to remain strong, is due to the stimulus money that came into the Hanford cleanup projects, however, many individuals and organizations have worked diligently to diversify our community so that not all economic strength comes from strictly the Hanford area, but instead comes from growth in agricultural, food processing, and tourism dollars. They have been very successful in their endeavors which in turn have created the economic stability that the Tri-Cities and surrounding communities enjoy today.

According to the Tri Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Tri Cities is a wonderful spot for tourism with a 4 percent increase in rented hotel rooms in the community for 2009.  In comparison to the other areas like Spokane, Yakima and King County which saw drops in their hotel occupancy, the Tri Cities boasts $366 million in travel and tourism which helps support more than 4,400 jobs per year; this of course helps to diversify our community even more.

Wineries, golf, and recreational activities in the sunshine attracts folks to the wonderful Tri Cities, and we’re always hopeful that some of those tourists will become residents one day! Conventioners have brought big business and tourist dollars to the Tri Cities to the tune of 113,000 visitors which converts to more than $32.5 million in direct spending. Thus far for 2010 and beyond, around 180 conventions and sporting events have been scheduled worth $34.9 million in local spending.

The bureau has made tremendous strides to present the Tri Cities to the outside world, and to share all our positive aspects, which are many and diverse. They have been delightfully successful! When you come visit us and decide to stay, the agents at Distinctive Properties, Inc.,  will be more than happy to assist you with your real estate needs. Check us out at  www.distinctiveprop.com

An energy conference in February could bring 800 people to the Tri-Cities and generate about $315,000 in visitor spending, officials with the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau said Tuesday.

Climate Solutions, facilitator of the annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference, decided to hold the event at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick because of the Tri-Cities’ concentration of clean energy companies, said Rhys Roth, Climate Solutions’ director of strategic innovation.

The conference should run February 7-9. The Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau learned about a month ago the conference will be in the Tri-Cities, but released the information Tuesday after contracts were finalized.

A local steering group with members from the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, Benton PUD, Energy Northwest, Franklin PUD, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other organizations worked for about a year with Climate Solutions to bring the conference to the Tri-Cities.

By December, the group was confident Climate Solutions would choose the Tri-Cities, said Gretchen Strother, director of sales for the Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Roth described the conference, which is in its 10th year, as an opportunity to foster rural economic development by bringing agriculture and clean energy production entities together.

The speeches and breakout forums are geared toward farmers, ranchers, and other rural landowners; agricultural organizations; public and private utilities; rural economic development leaders; local, state, federal and tribal officials; clean energy firms, consultants and supporters.

Each year, the conference’s location rotates between Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

From a business and utility standpoint, Debbie Bone-Harris of Franklin PUD, who worked with the steering committee, said the conference provides an opportunity for companies, organizations and individuals to collaborate on future energy projects.

For example, Roth said landowners can learn how to work with energy companies to get wind turbines on their land. Or organizations can learn how to better utilize biomass or solar energy.

From a tourism and visitor perspective, Visitor & Convention Bureau CEO and President Kris Watkins said the conference will showcase the Tri-Cities. “We’re always looking to promote activities in the Tri-Cities,” she said.

She hopes the hundreds of visitors plan future vacations to tour the area’s wineries or spend a weekend golfing. “The best marketing tool you can use is word of mouth.” Watkins said.

The conference last visited the Tri-Cities in 2002, Roth said, drawing about 200 people. Roth said the 700 to 800 expected visitors to the 2010 event would be a record.  “It’s sort of gradually grown each year,” he said.

Source: Tri-Cities Herald    www.harvestcleanenergy.org/conference