Pasco is sweeping away some rules downtown business owners say keep them from investing and thriving in a five-block area.A coalition of downtown business owners, frustrated by prohibitions that keep restaurants from putting sandwich boards on sidewalks, selling used bikes and computers, or opening fitness centers, successfully lobbied the city...

 Ulta Beauty leases old Pier 1 building in KennewickUlta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. has leased the former Pier 1 building at 1232 N. Columbia Center Blvd., near Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.Argo Kennewick LLC, which owns the property, signed a lease with Ulta on July 26. Longtime tenant Pier...

The Richland School District bought an old church campus to serve as the second campus for its Three Rivers HomeLink program, an alternative education program that supports home-based learning and other student services.HomeLink will expand into the former Salvation Army worship center, 1219 Thayer Drive, as early as 2022.The Richland...

Pieces of the Franklin County Historical Museum’s collection are scattered throughout the county.Some are stored in the basement of the Pasco police station.Some are tucked into the Kahlotus Grange Hall.The Port of Pasco is storing some items for the museum. Past museum board members opened up their barn space. The...

Richland Fire and Emergency Services held an open house for its fifth station on Sept. 29.The 10,3500-square-foot station boasts four apparatus bays and was constructed in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which supported the $4.5 million project budget.A $2.2 million FEMA grant provided assistance to hire 12 personnel to...

Matson Development Co. of Kennewick constructed an 80,700-square-foot self-storage facility with 642 units in 10 buildings at 9501 W. 10th Ave. in western Kennewick. The project includes an 800-square-foot leasing office.Everett-based West Coast Self-Storage is managing the business on behalf of Matson Storage LLC, a holding of the Tri-City construction...

Bookwalter Winery LLC has completed a 20,000-square-foot building to house winemaking, a tasting room, offices and events at its south Richland property near Columbia Park Trail and Queensgate Drive in Richland.The $5 million project was built on land that was already owned by Bookwalter Winery LLC.The addition opened to the...

Leo Morales was pleasantly surprised Aug. 26, the day his Havana Café reopened in downtown Pasco after a three-month closure.A steady stream of customers came in for lunch, drawn by his post on social media. It was more traffic than he dared dream and validated his decision, for now, not...

Modern updates have come to Richland’s famed Spudnut Shop, but not from a voluntary desire to change the space that hadn’t been remodeled since 1965.Valerie Driver, the second-generation owner of the iconic Richland restaurant, said she spent tens of thousands of dollars to update the shop after she and several...

A casino-turned-strip club in downtown Kennewick will reopen as a Mexican grocery following a remodel by a faith-led investment group that is eager to play a role in the neighborhood.Jared Walther, a former nuclear industry executive and cybersecurity expert, is the driving force behind Walther CRE LLC and related investment...