By Sean Bassinger

Business continues to boom in the Tri-Cities even as 2016 winds down.

City officials in Pasco, Richland, Kennewick and West Richland have seen several signs of continued economic development throughout each city in what’s considered to be the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state.

There’s lots to brag about in 2016: AutoZone building in Pasco. SCC North America manufacturing facility under construction in West Richland. ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston French fry processing plant opening in north Richland.

Here is a roundup of the year’s most notable economic accomplishments:

Pasco

Pasco saw continued growth of industrial development in the city. This was one of city council’s main goals for 2016, according to Rick White, community and economic development director for the city.

This helped the city increase its tax base and lessen its reliance on residential property taxes. There were several new manufacturing and distribution properties added to help support an already heavy agricultural industry in the area, White said.

“A lot of it is in response to the food industry,” White said of the growth.

The city’s most concentrated area of growth continues to be along Oregon Avenue and Highway 395.

One of the biggest projects launched in 2016 was the AutoZone distribution center on Capitol Avenue, just north of the King City Truck Stop. The center, with a building permit value of $38.9 million, will add more than 200 jobs to the area, White said.

Pasco had more than $200 million in permitted values in October 2016, a new record for the city that includes the new AutoZone center, agricultural facilities and other small businesses that opened around town.

“These kinds of small businesses, they support pretty solid job growth,” White said. “If you have 5 to 10 employees and you’re looking to 20 to 25 projects a year, that’s a lot of employees.”

Pasco city officials will look to continue development along the Highway 395 and Oregon Avenue corridor well into 2017, White said.

Richland

The new ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston French fry processing plant in north Richland and completion of the Kadlec tower in central Richland were among the city’s largest economic development accomplishments of the year.

The nearly $200 million Lamb Weston facility added about 160 jobs to the community, said Zach Ratkai, economic development manager with the city of Richland.

The Kadlec tower has made Richland a medical hub for the entire Tri-Cities. It’s a prime location since the medical center faces several key shopping districts and restaurants in town.

Ratkai commented on the strengths of Richland as an export economy as well, saying several goods in the Tri-City area often get shipped out to Seattle and Tacoma and to other countries.

In addition, a new $7.9 million Central Washington Corn Processors facility, at 3334 Longston Blvd. in north Richland, was completed to become the largest building of its kind in the area, Ratkai said.

It serves as a transload hub for the corn, dairy and poultry industries.

The city also has seen continued support for several local businesses, primarily in the Uptown Shopping Center.

“They’re kind of looking for more of those interesting, unique shops,” Ratkai said. “It’s created a bit of what we call a retail support community.”

Some larger retailers, including Ross Dress for Less, have moved into new pad sites in the area off Queensgate Drive’s Vintner Square development. Additional businesses will include MOD Pizza, Party City and Mattress Firm. A Panera Bread is planned next door to Kentucky Fried Chicken at the corner of Queensgate and Duportail Street.

“We’re pretty excited,” he said. “We’re planning for some additional support and marketing in the next coming year. It’s a pretty exciting time to be involved with the city of Richland.”

Kennewick

Kennewick had successes in several areas throughout the city.

“To me, there’s no one sector,” said Emily Estes-Cross, economic development manager for the city of Kennewick. “We have really built a diverse economy in Kennewick that we’re pretty proud of.”

Officials issued a total of 52,000 business licenses well into October, with more than 1,200 of those being brand new businesses.

An increase of infrastructure projects in 2016 was the main catalyst of economic development, Estes-Cross said.

These include the widening of Edison Street, road construction in the Southridge area near Highway 395 and Ridgeline Drive and continuing construction of the $7.7 million Bob Olson Parkway project.

“It’s these infrastructure projects that have facilitated a lot of this growth,” Estes-Cross said.

Southridge and the Columbia Center shopping areas continue to see new growth in the form of retailers and small businesses. A new home decór store, HomeGoods, that opened at Columbia Center added 48 new jobs to the area as well, Estes-Cross said.

Next year, the city will continue to work with the Port of Kennewick to enhance the historic Columbia Drive streetscape. Kennewick is committed to a wine-effluent pre-treatment system to support the Columbia Gardens Wine Village in 2017.

The city will then enter the higher education scene by supporting the completion of Columbia Basin College’s $10 million culinary school around 2018.

West Richland

The smallest of towns in the Tri-City area had significant gains in the wine industry.

Double Canyon Winery opened a 40,000-square-foot facility and the city of West Richland invested in a wine wastewater pretreatment facility, which takes wine effluent and processes it during harvest.

The facility was a $2 million investment for West Richland, said Aaron Lambert, community development department director for the city.

The proximity to Red Mountain and completion of what they call the iPlant will continue to increase their presence in the wine market, he said.

In addition, West Richland will now have access to Interstate 82 with new construction approved. This will provide better access to the community, allowing wineries to bring in more customers, Lambert said.

City officials are also excited to see the recent rebirth of the SCC North America facility project that is expected to  put West Richland on the map in the car world.

Founded by Jerod Shelby in 1999, SCC North America is a supercar company that would compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Koenigsegg, according to the company’s website.

“They’re a multi-million dollar automobile that’s sold to individuals that want the best of the best in the supercars,” said Brent Gerry, mayor of West Richland.

The city council recently heard an update from Shelby on the company’s plans for the manufacturing plant, planned for Keene Road and Belmont Boulevard.

Work continues with construction and could be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017, Gerry said.

The facility will include a museum dedicated to the supercar, manufacturing space and work viewing area.