The City of Pasco has issued a building permit valued at $38.9 million for construction of a new 440,000-sq.-ft. AutoZone distribution center at 3733 Capitol Ave. near King City in Pasco.

[blockquote quote="These are good jobs, from warehouse to upper management positions." source="Rick White, Pasco's community and economic development director" align="right" max_width="300px"]

The deal has been done under a veil of secrecy, with the help of the Tri-City Development Council and the Washington Department of Commerce.

Although it was officially referred to as Project Sunrise, now Pasco officials can refer to under the corporate name, said Rick White, Pasco’s community and economic development director.

A contractor for the project has not been named yet.

“They had narrowed it down to three,” said White, who met with company officials in late January.

One of the finalists is a local contractor, White added.

Carl Adrian, president of TRIDEC, said the company worked with the site selection consultants for more than a year to finalize the project.

In December, AutoZone Parts Inc. finalized the purchase 93.4 acres of undeveloped land in Franklin County, where the distribution center will be built.

According to the permit, AutoZone will build a 443,212-sq.-ft. warehouse distribution center with office space, maintenance rooms and special aerosol containment rooms. The site will also include a 7,564-sq.-ft. truck maintenance facility and a 200-sq.-ft. guardhouse

When complete, the warehouse will provide about 200 new jobs to the community.

“These are good jobs, from warehouse to upper management positions,” White said. “And they are a good corporate citizen.”

White said the company has been in the distribution business for about 20 years. During discussions, company representatives said that more than 70 percent of the employees that started with them 20 years ago are still with them.

“They promote from within,” White said. “The two guys who are in charge of national distribution started out in the warehouse.”

Adrian said TRIDEC worked closely with the Department of Commerce to bring the company to Pasco.

According to documents obtained from the Department of Commerce, because the distribution facility was larger than 200,000 sq. ft., the project qualifies for the state’s Warehouse/Distribution Sales Tax Remittance Program, which is administered through the Department of Revenue.

Under the program, certain construction expenses are exempt from the state portion of the tax.

In February 2015, the Department of Commerce approved $200,000 for planning and technical assistance for the project. The money comes from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund, a discretionary fund used to recruit businesses to the state and retain them.

According to the documents, the funds must be spent by June 30,2017.

Colin Hastings, executive director of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, said having the AutoZone distribution center in Pasco is a huge victory for the area and great for economic development.

“I think it’s awesome,” Hastings said. “We’ve been working with their advance team in human resources for development of their labor force.”

Randy Hayden, the Port of Pasco’s executive director, said the new warehouse not only will offer great jobs with competitive wages and good benefits, it could lead to other, similar development.

“I think it could really open doors for other similar distribution centers to look at Pasco,” Hayden said.

White agreed. He said he believes the site selection team does work across the country for many businesses.

“They had a good experience and that’s important,” White said. “I’m excited they know about us.”