Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Planning fastpitch tournaments for April in Western Washington can be risky business because of wet weather. So Steve Jensen, state director for National Softball Association’s girls fastpitch, decided to bring some of his games to the Tri-Cities.

“I wanted to go to a place that could accommodate me for the fields and the weather,” he said. “It’s a great venue.”

About 110 teams played on 24 fields in April, and an additional 125 teams descended on the area at the end of June for the NSA Fastpitch State Tournament, the events were here for the third and second years, respectively, Jensen said, adding that both will be back next year.

Sporting events such as the NSA Tournaments and convention groups are important pieces of the tourism pie in the Tri-Cities area. And while the down economy continues to leave its negative footprint on local hotels and event spaces, officials say the effect isn’t as bad as it is in other parts of the country.

Bookings for conventions and sporting events were down slightly during the first six months of the year, said Kim Shugart, vice president of operations for the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau. The bureau tracks the number of group events booked each month, not necessarily when the event is happening.

Through June, 53 conventions had been booked this year, compared with 57 during the same time last year, Shugart said. And 19 sporting events had been scheduled through June, compared with 23 during the first six months of 2008.

Convention planners are scaling back and often have a “wait-and-see” attitude, Shugart said. Overall hotel occupancy is down just more than 3 percent through April, the latest information available.

Kris Watkins, president and CEO of the bureau, added, “Where we’re feeling the bite of the economy is you may have the same number of conventions, but you have less delegates.”

At the Courtyard by Marriott in Richland, general manager Kathy Moore said her hotel’s group business travel is down “pretty significantly” from last year. “I think groups are smaller and I think more and more companies, they’re just not traveling this year,” she said.

The hotel has had a good returning business from sports groups, though, a category that’s holding strong for the year along with tour travel, she said.

But 2008 was a banner year and a tough one to measure up to, Moore said. Overall the hotel has seen less business than it did last year, but “it’s not significant,” Moore said.

Corporate events, which make up 20 percent to 25 percent of business at TRAC, are down dramatically this year at the Pasco facility, said Troy Woody, general manager.

“The corporate meeting market has fallen off the face of the earth,” he said, adding the facility has half the amount of corporate business scheduled for the rest of the year that it had at the same time last year.

Much to Woody’s surprise, events such as the Home & Garden Show, Hanford’s Health and Safety Expo and other audience-based events have held steady, he said.

New events at the facility, such as a series of community garage sales, are one way TRAC officials have tried to bolster business, Woody said.  About 1,200 people came to the June 27 sales, which featured more than 70 booths.

“It was pretty successful,” Woody said. “That’s definitely going to grow.” Another sale was schedule for Saturday July 25, and the final one is set for August 15.

TRAC is likely to see a 20 percent drop in revenue this year, Woody said, following four years of 10 percent growth or more. He also had to lay off eight staff members, mostly superiors, at the beginning of July.

The hope is to bring them back when business picks up again, Woody said.

Compounding the challenges of bringing group travelers to the Tri-Cities in a slumping economy is an increase in competition. More cities are vying for a shrinking amount of business, Watkins said.

Cities such as Seattle and Bellevue are more “cost conscious”, and therefore have become competitors of the Tri-Cities, she said.

On top of that, an increasing number of venue have become available in recent years.

A new sports venue in Wenatchee and a bigger convention center in Spokane are just a few examples, Watkins said. “So you have more competition in a down market,” Watkins said.

To stay competitive, the bureau has focused on maintaining relationships with clients. “There’s no business like repeat business,” Watkins said.

The bureau has recently implemented a program called MeetingMax, which allows convention delegates to book rooms at the hotel of their choice after meeting planners have reserved blocks.

It’s designed for bigger groups that require rooms at more than one hotel, Shugart said. The Public School Employees of Washington, in town this weekend, is the first group to use the service.

Competition isn’t likely to lessen anytime soon, so tourism officials say they’ll continue to recruit new and returning groups to hold their events in the Tri-Cities.

“It’s a united industry in the Tri-Cities,” Watkins said.

Source: Tri-City Herald

“Staycation” was the buzz word last summer when gas prices rose to over $4 a gallon and people decided to find fun closer to home. But the word is making a comeback this year, especially in a time when more people are watching their spending and are concerned about the economy.

Kris Watkins, president and CEO of the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, said the word “staycation” appeared several years ago when cities were encouraging residents to stay close instead of spending money elsewhere.

Not only can a staycation save traveling costs for fuel and accommodations, but it can also save a lot of stress, she said. “More people are aware you can make a great vacation staying at home,” she said. “I think staycations have become more and more popular in the Tri-Cities and in the nation.”

Tri-Cities residents may choose to stay at home and organize a neighborhood barbecue, a family game night or a movie marathon, but the summer months in the Tri-Cities provide some unique and beautiful experiences.

“A staycation is a good opportunity to experience your own backyard,” Watkins said. You could rent a fun car for the weekend and stay at a bed and breakfast or even a hotel to get away from the house, yet still have the comfort of knowing you’re in the same town. All it takes is a little imagination.

There are many attractions that should be on a Tri-Citians ‘to do’ list, either for this year’s staycation or a future one. The Lamb Weston Columbia Cup for Unlimited Hydroplanes, July 24-26, along the Columbia River, and the Benton Franklin County Fair and Rodeo, August 25-29, are ready-made, family fun fare.

The Tri-Cities’ are in the heart of Washington’s wine country, offering residents the opportunity to visit 160 wineries within an hour’s drive.

The Visitor and Convention Bureau also promotes the area’s 10 golf courses, including Columbia Park golf course, which Watkins recommended for families with kids just learning to play the game.

Free family fun can be had at the Family Fishing Pond and the Playground of Dreams in Columbia Park, as well as Sturgeon Cove in Howard Amon Park. Families can attend a Dust Devils baseball or a Tri-Cities Fever home game on weekends as well.

Even with limited time on a weekend staycation, Watkins said to definitely include one of the Tri-Cities’ museums, like the Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology in Richland.

There’s also the Franklin County Historical Museum, the Washington State Railroad Historical Society Museum, and the interpretive center at Sacajawea State Park in Pasco. Check the local Parks and Recreation departments for activities and classes open for the public this summer, or take a dip at a free public pool.

Garage sale shopping is always fun on a Saturday morning, and Pasco’s TRAC has two more giant garage sales on July 25 and August 15. Or shop in historic downtown Kennewick or at the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland.

The Tri-Cities farmers’ markets offer local produce and arts and crafts Thursdays in downtown Kennewick from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fridays at Richland’s Parkway from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the corner of South Fourth and Columbia streets in Pasco.

The Country Mercantile also provides produce, gifts, homemade chocolate and more a few miles north of Pasco on Highway 395.

Watkins said another idea for a staycation is taking a tour of the Hanford Reach National monument by kayak or jet boat down the Columbia River.

Columbia River Journeys and River City Tours in Kennewick specialize in jet boat tours of the Columbia and Lower Snake rivers. Just call ahead of time to reserve a four and a half hour tour of the Hanford Reach, or tours to Vernita Bridge and bar or to Ice Harbor Dam, May through September. They also offer wine tasting evening cruises with a catered dinner and customizable water and land tours for a few hours or a day.

Columbia Kayak Adventures on George Washington Way in Richland offers sea kayak courses, guided tours and rentals for beginner or experienced kayakers. Tours go along the Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers to the Yakima Delta, the McNary Wildlife Refuge, Sand Islands, Palouse River and the Hanford Reach. They even have a “Sunday Paddle Group” for those who want to get out on the river every week.

Grab your poles and a fishing license at a local sporting goods store and book a guided steelhead, salmon, walleye or sturgeon fishing trip with Ecotrip on Kirstin Drive in West Richland.

Families can rent boats and ride on the Columbia starting from docks in Pasco, Kennewick or Richland and The Happy Horse Riding School in Burbank offers horseback riding lessons to Tri-Citians in the summer as well.

For those on a tight budget, Watkins suggested a stroll or bicycle ride on the 23 miles of continuous trails along the Columbia River, stretching from Sacajawea State Park in Pasco to WSU Tri-Cities and Hanford in Richland.

Columbia Park Trail accesses Bateman Island just south of North Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick. The island, a Tri-Cities landmark, has dirt walking trails, fishing and lots of plants and wildlife to enjoy, at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers.

The Horse Heaven Hills above the Yakima River includes trails open to horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking all summer long.

There are also a lot of great opportunities to experience art, music and theater this summer, beginning with Columbia Basin College’s summer showcase.

The Allied Arts Gallery on Lee Blvd in Richland, has its Annual Art in the Park, featuring hundreds of local artists.

Also watch for free concerts and movie at venues all over the Tri-Cities this summer, including Bookwalter Winery’s free music and Fairchild Cinema’s free family movies in Pasco.

Cities in the outlying areas, like Walla Walla and Yakima, also have a lot to offer for day trips that many Tri-Citians may not be aware of, Watkins said. There’s the Benton County Historical Museum in Prosser and the Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla.

For more outdoor activities, travel to the Ice Harbor Lock Visitor Center at Ice Harbor Dam outside of Pasco, or the McNary Wildlife Refuge and dam near Umatilla to count fish. Or camp at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park 25 miles northeast of Walla Walla, Palouse Falls State Park in Lacrosse 75 miles from the Tri-Cities or Steptoe Butte State Park in Oakesdale, 140 miles away, but accessible within a few hours.

There’s plenty of room to go off-roading, camping, or hiking on the 4,000 acres of open land at Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area, about 15 miles northeast of Pasco. Visitors access it from Petersen Road four miles north from the Pasco-Kahlotus Highway.

But Watkins had some advice for Tri-Citians who decide to staycation and want to make it a memorable and fun experience. “Plan the trip just like you’re going on vacation,” she said.

That means not doing anything you usually would, including keeping in touch via internet, cell phone, TV, etc. Set up email auto-responders or have your mail and newspaper held for the vacation. Leave projects and housework alone. Have a start and end date. Other online sources give tips including setting a schedule of activities and documenting the “trip” with photos and videos.

Explore your hometown, rediscovering destinations you don’t normally reach in your busy life. And above all, relax. “In our busy lives, we don’t have time to stop and smell the roses,” Watkins said.

A staycation could be a perfect opportunity to do that.

Property owners with limited incomes are getting some relief in the form of a tax deferral program, the state Department of Revenue announced Tuesday.

Homeowners making $57,000 or less in 2008 can apply to defer paying their second half property taxes due Oct. 31.

Applicants must have owned the primary residence for at least five years and have sufficient equity, the department said. Deferred taxes cannot exceed 40 percent of equity.

Deferred taxes must be repaid with interest when the home is sold or no longer used as the primary residence. The interest rate for 2009 is 5 percent.

For more information visit www.dor.wa.gov and see the Property Tax Deferral for Homeowners with Limited Income publication or call 360-570-5900.

Homeowners also can call local county assessors’ offices: Franklin County, 545-3506; Benton County, 786-2046.

Source: Tri-City Herald

June 15:

Summer Sizzle Grilling Class & Dinner: 6pm – 9pm. StoneRidge Event Center, 5960 Burden Blvd., Pasco

June 16:

Financial Planning Workshop Series: 4:30pm – 6pm, WSU Tri-Cities, E Bldg, R212, 2710 University Dr, Richland.

June 17:

Young Professionals of Tri-Cities Meeting: 5:30pm – 7:30pm, Allied Arts Gallery, 89 Lee Blvd., Richland

Energy from the Vacuum – 10-part series: 7pm – 9pm, R242 CBC Health Science Center, 8912 Northgate, Richland.

June 18:

Kennewick Avenue Farmers Market. 9am – 1pm, Key Bank parking Lot, Auburn St & Kennewick Avenue, Kennewick

Pioneer Dance Tunes of the Far West: 7pm – 9pm, Mid-Columbia Library, 1620 S Union, Kennewick

June 19:

Richland Farmer’s Market – Market at the Parkway: 9am – 1pm, The Parkway, Richland

Three Rivers Senior Life Show: 11am – 5:30pm. Allied Arts Gallery, 89 Lee Blvd., Richland

June 20:

Pasco Farmers Market: 8am – 12pm. Fourth Avenue (between Lewis & columbia Streets), Pasco

Country Nesters Marketplace Antiques & Collectibles Show. 9am – 4pm, Howard Amon Park, Richland.

Get Your Hands on Astronomy: 1:30pm – 4pm LIGO Hanford Observatory, Richland

2009 World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions: 2pm – 4pm Toyota Center, 7000 W Grandridge, Kennewick

Businesses may be struggling nationwide but they seem to be holding their own in West Richland.

About 20 new businesses – tanning salons, real estate companies and financial advisers – have come to West Richland in the past two years, says Mary Hays, executive director of the West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. More than 75 percent of the city’s commercial property is occupied, something not many communities can boast about, said mayor Dale Jackson.

The city of about 12,500 people has been known as a Hanford bedroom community and has struggled for years to develop more of a retail base. But, officials say, they’re slowing gaining a commercial foothold.

Jackson confirmed a hotel chain has agreed to look at the almost 8,000-acre Lewis and Clark Ranch as a potential destination resort.

A national restaurant has shown interest in opening near Kadlec Clinic West Richland Primary Care at the corner of Bombing Range and Keene roads.

Jackson credits the city’s hiring of an economic development specialist about two years ago to help recruit new businesses and population growth for generating additional revenue. Also, having Yoke’s Fresh Market as an anchor tenant on Bombing Range Road helped attract several small businesses, Jackson said. Small businesses like restaurants often tend to cluster and grow, he said.

The growth has spurred taxable retail sales, which increased 35 percent to about $18.9 million in the last quarter of 2008, compared with the same time the year before.

By the end of March, the city’s share of retail tax revenue was up 29 percent, compared with the same period last year, said Jackson. It’s significant considering surrounding cities have lost retail tax revenue.

He says the city needs more retail growth and economic development to capture an estimated 41.5 million in sales tax that gets leaked to other cities when West Richland residents shop elsewhere. That number comes from comparing the state’s average per capita sales tax and the amount the city collects.

Because a variety of services now are locally available, people living in West Richland won’t have to travel to other cities, Hays said.

Henry’s Restaurant & Catering moved from Richland to West Richland’s Van Giesen Street in November.

Hays and her husband launched The Sandberg Event Center & Gardens at 331 S. 41st Avenue. The couple also started another business nearby, The Gathering Place Bistro & Gifts earlier this year.

White Bluffs Center for Quilting & Fiber Arts recently opened on West Van Giesen. It’s an organization of quilting, weaving, spinning and basketry guilds and groups that offers classes and helps Tri-City fiber artists to sell their creations, said Virginia Treadway, president of the center’s board of directors. The group decided to set up shop in the city because “the city understood the economic benefits of having us,” Treadway said.

Business has been really good, said Darrell Toombs, manager at the West Richland Yoke’s. The continued growth of the city has helped the store, which opened about three years ago and employs about 90 people.

A lot of out-of-towners who come to the West Richland Municipal Golf Course often shop at local businesses, said course owner Michelle Marcum. It’s about convenience, she said.

She said the improvements she made at the course helped bring in golfers to the community. “Membership has grown about 10 percent a year.”

Currently, she’s operating a restaurant, bar and pro shop in a temporary 2,800-square foot building but she plans to build a new clubhouse in a few months. Marcum also recently hired Joe Perdue, a Class A pro-golfer from Michigan, as director of the golf course.

She said she thinks the addition of a hotel in town will help support retail business. Often she sends golfers from outside the Tri-Cities who want to spend some time in the area, to stay in hotels in other cities, Marcum said.

A majority of city residents are young professional families with disposable income, Jackson said. “We’re growing as a young family community.”

Henry’s owner Don Karger said a desire to expand his catering business and to be close to customers brought him to West Richland. The city council and staff helped him with permitting to make the relocation process go smoothly, he said. “We started remodeling in middle of September and we opened in the middle of November,” he said.

Karger expects the town to develop in a big way in the next five years or so. “Richland can’t expand too much any more. But West Richland can,” he said.

The City has a vision and a plan, says Jackson, that includes revitalization of the Van Giesen corridor and zoning changes to promote mixed use development, particularly in the proposed Red Mountain Center near Van Giesen and Ruppert Road.

Also, the development of Lewis and Clark Ranch, a conceptual master planned destination community in the northwestern part of town, and new wine-related businesses at the foot of Red Mountain are on the city’s to-do list, Jackson said.

The development may not happen overnight, but the city’s partnership with the Port of Kennewick, local chamber of commerce and businesses will pave the way for future growth, said Jackson who recently attended an International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas.

Developers are definitely interested in knowing more abut west Richland, he said.

The Port of Pasco launched Thursday the first phase of its Riverfront Business Park with plans for a port-owned $5 million building.

It’s the first time the port is developing a nonwarehouse type building with the hopes of attracting new capital for future growth.

The port hopes the business park, with its unusual business setting near the river and close to warehouses, manufacturing space, good transportation access and recreational opportunities at nearby Sacajawea Park, will help generate $90 million in investments and provide 1,200 jobs over the years.

Todd Wolf, project manager with the Tacoma-based architectural firm BCRA, said the proposed 20,000 square-foot, two-story building will be built about 350 feet from the shoreline in the 110-acre business park near Oregon and Ainsworth avenues.

The design includes great views of the river and environmentally friendly landscaping, he said.

And there’ll be no stormwater runoffs as proposed rain gardens will collect the water to be treated and reused, Wolf told a group of community members, civic officials and city leaders at Thursday’s announcement.

The proposed building will set the design standards for the business park and also promote development there, said Jim Toomey, port’s executive director.

“If it wasn’t done by us, it was going to be done.” he said. The Port of Pasco plans to use money from an insurance settlement to pay for the project, which is expected to start in February.

About 10 acres in the central part of the business park will be developed in the first phase, and the rest of the park is expected to develop over the next 15 years.

The port already has signed an agreement with the city of Pasco to help smooth the way for developers by making sure development standards and land use and other requirements won’t change for 15 years.

Source: Tri-City Herald