As apartment complexes rise at the south end of Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick, community and local businesses are taking root in the commercial area next door. 

The $200 million Resort at Hansen Park, a community with 605 apartments spread out over 18 acres and numerous buildings, has been in the works for a few years, and it’s still on its way to full build-out.

Business at Hansen Park Plaza, the neighboring collection of commercial suites at 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., has been picking up along with the growing apartment community. 

The building has been a good location for longtime tenant Yogurt Beach, which has been there since 2016, and the large parking area lends itself to StarCycle’s fitness classes. 

Hansen Park Plaza’s newest tenant, The Peacock, opened its doors Oct. 31 after a move from its home on Richland’s Parkway, and it helps fulfill a long-planned vision for the commercial center’s growth. 

Yogurt Beach has been in Hansen Park Plaza since 2016, one of its longest tenants. Owner Melissa Baker poses by the frozen yogurt shop’s beach-themed decor.

| Photo by Rachel Visick

Vibrant community

Hansen Park Plaza was built before its time, said Steve Lambert, designated broker at EXIT Realty Tri-Cities Life, who handles the plaza’s leases. 

When it was built in 2008, the commercial area was on the fringe of the busy retail corridor along Columbia Center Boulevard, with the majority of shops and restaurants located north of Clearwater Avenue. And when Lambert convinced his brother, owner of Lambert Properties LLC based in California, to buy the 5-acre property, it wasn’t on the market and the Resort at Hansen Park had yet to be built. The $4.5 million sale closed in 2022.

But Lambert knew that the 17,600-square-foot commercial center would “blow up” in time.

Although two suites sit vacant in the plaza that’s also home to an Air Force recruiting office, a dentist office and a dog groomer, it’s not due to a lack of interest. 

Since the Resort at Hansen Park began construction, “the phone’s ringing off the hook,” Lambert said. He said he has a clear vision when it comes to filling the empty spaces. 

“We have a chance to actually take a center and revitalize it and develop it into something that’s truly here for the community,” he said. 

He envisions Hansen Park Plaza as a destination, a walkable community shopping center where people would want to linger. Lambert hopes to see some restaurants move in, and one or two have already inquired.

A juice or specialty food store would complement StarCycle’s studio, which Lambert has been pleased to see in the plaza. The cycling studio opened in January. 

As for The Peacock opening, “that’s the energy and vibe it needed,” Lambert said. “I want to see more really cool, unique local businesses like that jump in there and do something fun and cool.”

But filling the current building isn’t Lambert’s only plan for the site. Two additional buildings are planned for the empty pad sites on the edges of the property. 

Lambert hopes that a gas station with EV charging or a national chain could come in on the corner, and the other building could provide additional retail space. Each building would be about 6,500 square feet of space with drive-thrus, he said. 

One building has been largely designed already, and although there isn’t an official timeline, Lambert said that ideally it would be ready for leasing in a year. But the first priority is getting the current building filled with tenants. 

StarCycle opened its Kennewick studio this past January, and the parking lot space is one of the key aspects of this location, says owner Dana Ward.

| Photo by Rachel Visick

A changing area

While there is a clear path ahead for Hansen Park Plaza, the location has been a mixed bag for businesses over the years. 

Sage Brewing Co., the tenant previously in the space leased by The Peacock, only stayed a handful of years, and other businesses have come and gone as well.

Yogurt Beach is one of the longest tenants, and since Melissa Baker and her husband David Baker took over ownership in 2019, they’ve seen several businesses leave or go out of business.

Melissa Baker said that their drive-thru helped them make it through the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the development of the Resort at Hansen Park, foot traffic around the building has picked up, she said. 

“We’re excited to have some new businesses go in, like Peacock,” she said. 

Dana Ward, owner of the StarCycle studio at the plaza, finds the area challenging in terms of visibility, but she hopes that The Peacock’s move will help to bring more attention to the commercial center. 

Even though she isn’t sure if StarCycle gets many clients from the Resort at Hansen Park, it was one of the reasons behind choosing the location. 

Ward described the commercial area as a “late bloomer,” but she hopes “that it does have a bit of a resurgence, and people see the value of the location and the parking and the safety and the proximity to a lot of upscale housing.”

The Resort at Hansen Park is indeed still blooming – its buildings are in different stages of development.

“We have completely full buildings, complexes, and then of course we have one being constructed right now,” said Karen Hoover, property manager for the Resort at Hansen Park, which is managed by TMG Property Management Services NW.

Currently under construction is the complex’s 20,000-square-foot clubhouse, which is set to open July 1. It will include a fitness center, pool, pickleball courts and more. Other buildings planned include a 55+ community and an apart-hotel.

Already, there are roughly 300 people living at the Resort at Hansen Park, and the development is still leasing apartments. The buildings have a range of different prices, and the complex has been popular, Hoover said.

“We’ve developed a really tight-knit community as well,” she said. “We really focus on making sure everybody feels important here. They’re not just a number at all, even though this is a very large complex.”

Thomas Kalmbach, owner of The Peacock, isn’t worried that other tenants haven’t stayed long at the location his business now occupies. 

“It seemed very obvious that this area is booming, and there’s a great amount of investment and development that’s being done,” he said. 

The Resort at Hansen Park was a big draw, and he also has discovered that many of his Parkway customers actually live near the Hansen Park area. 

Hoover already plans to collaborate with Kalmbach on events for residents. 

“It’ll be really great for really all the businesses surrounding this area, just to have all these tenants in a concentrated area,” she said.

The Peacock recently moved into its new home at 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick. With the move from The Parkway in Richland came a name change and an expansion of hours and offerings. Above is The Peacock’s owner, Thomas Kalmbach.

| Photo by Rachel Visick

Coffee shop expansion

The Peacock’s move and accompanying expansion has generated a lot of excitement. Customers may remember the business as Peacock Coffee Roasting Co., a coffee shop previously located on The Parkway in Richland.

Named in honor of Kalmbach’s mother, the business’s new location is painted in bold purple and blue colors and will feature expanded hours and offerings, including unique foods, cocktails and more.

“Having a coffee shop by morning and a lounge by evening made total sense from an evolutionary standpoint,” Kalmbach said.

He founded the business at The Parkway three years ago after a move from Seattle. He said it’s the only business with a zero-emission coffee roaster in Eastern Washington, and the unroasted coffee beans Kalmbach gets are sustainably and ethically sourced.

It’s part of The Peacock’s “elevated experience” which makes it unique. “I wanted to expand the experience, and there was a constraint at the location on The Parkway to be able to do that,” he said.   

The new location included kitchen space that was ready to go, and since the previous tenant was Sage Brewing Co., “it was already set up to be able to springboard into cocktails and wine and beer,” Kalmbach said.

With only two to three employees at the new location, he plans to make food just as unique as his coffee. In-house pizzas with high-quality toppings, paninis and cold sandwiches, soups, salads and tiramisu with his own coffee product are all planned.

Kalmbach’s coffee will make an appearance in his cocktails as well. He plans flights of martinis and mules, and the syrups he uses in his coffees will be used in the drinks, too. 

“I want to create some menu items that are a little bit different than what’s out there, something that’s unique about this kitchen,” he said. 

Besides the food, the expansion allows The Peacock an additional 700 square feet, plus 900 square feet of patio space outside. There’s room to host events and live music on the patio. 

The inside space offers the flexibility of transitioning from afternoon coffee to an evening drink, while also staying family friendly. There are board games in one area, and a TV set up near a conference table in the back creates a meeting space.

The Peacock’s new hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and Friday and Saturday nights may go later, to 10 or 11 p.m.