A sale is pending for a sizable commercial property

adjacent to the Columbia River at the north end of Columbia Center Boulevard,

within Richland’s city limits.

Two tenants vacated the 101,000-square-foot Rivers Edge

Plaza in the last year, including anchor tenant Chuck E. Cheese and

All-American Gymnastics. Neither space has been filled in the complex at 2600

N. Columbia Center Blvd.

It is zoned C-2 for retail businesses but was being

marketed to buyers for possible re-development with the opportunity for

mixed-use/multi-family housing. If a new building was to go up on the site, it

could be multi-storied with expansive river views. Total land available is 8.82

acres.

The property is owned and listed by AGM Real Estate for

$6.4 million and has been home to a number of businesses over the years,

including Roy’s Western Smorgy restaurant, Brutzman’s Office Solutions and

Chuck E. Cheese.

Roy’s closed and its space was at occupied times with a

billiards store and the gymnastics studio, but has been vacant for nearly a

year. Both Brutzman’s and Chuck E. Cheese relocated to their own new buildings,

with Brutzman’s just across the street on Columbia Center Boulevard. Neither of

the available spaces have been

filled and the manager at Ted Brown Music said the move by Chuck E. Cheese has

most affected his walk-in customers.

“It’s been a good location and easy to get to,” said Ted

Brown Music manager Todd Peery. “But there hasn’t been a lot of pull for

incidental foot traffic since Chuck E. Cheese left. You have to really want to

be here to be here.”

Peery estimated Ted Brown has been at its current

Richland location since 2002, after originally opening nearby on Fowler Street

in the mid-1980s, where Sherwin-Williams is now.

The music store’s lease is up at the end of the year and Peery said the current plan is to move into a built-to-suit location on Canal Drive, near Wendy’s and Hobby Lobby. Still, Peery and the three other tenants were caught by surprise to hear the building was under contract. The plaza also houses World Relief Tri-Cities, Zain Medical Research, American Dance Academy and Pool Care Products. None of the other tenants wanted to comment about their future plans if the site is developed.

Original development at Rivers Edge Plaza began in the

late 1960s and the building has expanded over the years to its current square

footage, and is appraised by Benton County at $5.3 million.

 “We owned the

property for 10 to 12 years, and attempted to do what I think the buyers are

now considering when purchasing this property. Over our years of ownership, we

had a few successes and a few failures

and concluded recently the property was

going to need a much more hands-on approach, and we were not the in the

position to facilitate this effort, so it is time to sell. The current buyer

has a reasonable due diligence and assuming they like what they see, will close

fairly promptly afterwards,” said Troy Gessel, president of AGM Real Estate.

A timeline wasn’t disclosed.

A separate building in the parking lot at 2588 N.

Columbia Center Blvd. once held a movie theater, nightclub and Pasta Mama’s,

but has now been the location for New Vintage Church. Gessel said the church

bought its building about a year ago and it is not part of the sale or

potential redevelopment.

AGM Real Estate also has listed for sale the Kennewick

complex that holds Get Air Trampoline Park, Planet Fitness and Mid-Columbia

Wine and Spirits. The property at 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd. is advertised

for $10.2 million. It was purchased in 2007 by Columbia Summit LLC for just over

$8 million. Columbia Summit shares a Bellevue street address with AGM Real

Estate.

Gessel said the majority of buyers

interested in 2600 N. Columbia Center Blvd. were local. “Each has been

evaluating a renovation to the existing structure to some larger development,

as you would probably expect,” he said. “The current buyer is doing the same,

I’m sure, but I don’t know what their specific plans are as of now.”