Port of Kennewick is following a community-driven master plan to transform the 103-acre Vista Field site into a regional town center.
Vista Field is at the commercial core of Tri-Cities, Washington, near the Columbia Center Mall and adjacent to the City of Kennewick’s Vista Entertainment District, which includes the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center.
The development will feature a network of finely-grained streets with wide, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and other urban lifestyle amenities. Vista Field will foster new jobs, housing options, civic amenities, entertainment and recreational opportunities that everyone can enjoy.
There will be a mix of residential options appealing to various ages and incomes at full build-out, including single-family homes, condos, multi-family housing, spaces for mother-in-law cottages, and even opportunities for places to live above and work below.
Port of Kennewick, City of Kennewick and Benton County have worked together on planning for Vista Field’s renovation.
Land for private-sector commercial and residential development will become available throughout the various phases of Vista Field development – with the first parcels anticipated to be ready for sale in late 2021.
Once lots become available, opportunities will be posted on the Vista Field page in the Lease & Sale Opportunities section of the website.
Builders should review all the documents below, which contain important information about the Collaborative Design Process. These Vista Field development proposal documents identify how opportunities will be publicly noticed and how proposals will be received, evaluated and accepted.
Port Commission Approved October 24, 2017 – Kennewick City Council Adopted December 5, 2017
September 27, 2016
February 9, 2015
An Evolving Document Draft as of September 16, 2016
November 9, 2021
February 17, 2022
February 17, 2022
February 17, 2022
Amber Hanchette
Real Estate & Operations
509-586-1186
The Vista Field redevelopment will happen in phases.
The initial site infrastructure encompasses streets, sidewalks, utilities, and landscaping at the center of Vista Field. This early work will open nearly 20 acres and include a linear park, waterway and retail plaza. Once the initial phase is complete, shovel-ready land will be available for private sector commercial, retail, and residential development. The Port will use proceeds from Vista Field land sales to complete additional infrastructure that will open the next phase of development.
Long-term plans include a network of small-scale streets, focusing on walking, biking, public transit, and interconnecting a variety of neighborhoods within the development. Dotted with green spaces, waterways, pathways, civic buildings, and public facilities, Vista Field will be filled with unique shops and local restaurants, cafes, and offices. There will be places for shopping and dining, areas focused on entertainment and open public spaces, and spaces that recognize and celebrate local history.
The Vista Field model is very different from typical developments seen in many cities. As envisioned, Vista Field will be redeveloped using a New Urbanism model – a neighborhood-scale planning approach focused on mixed-uses, vibrant public spaces, multi-modal access, pedestrian-scale streets, and a density of development not typically found within the Tri-Cities region.
Once complete, the site will have many distinctive features and look more like city blocks found within historic downtown areas with diverse local businesses, cozy neighborhoods and public plazas. These types of town center developments, that meld cultures and bring vibrancy to communities are sought after, and the Port heard clearly from citizens during the master planning process that this type of development is what they want.
Vista Field redevelopment is purposely different. An economic analysis concluded that an unmet demand exists for mixed housing, commercial, office, hospitality, and entertainment opportunities. The years-long public planning process confirmed the community’s deep interest in this locally unprecedented development.
Beyond establishing an urban core in the Tri-Cities, the redevelopment of Vista Field will add both taxpayer equity and value to this community and the broader region. At the completion of the entire 103-acre Vista Field site, economic projections indicate redevelopment could mean as many as 1,000 residential units, 3,380 jobs, $460 million in private sector investment, $51 million in new infrastructure, and $408 million in new (taxable) buildings. The additional property taxes generated by the development would provide new revenues for police, fire, hospital, libraries, schools, parks, and other services.
The Port led a multi-year effort to involve the public in the planning for the future of this unique asset. The public involvement process utilized surveys, meetings, a pattern-language workshop, a week-long public charrette series, and a citizen oversight committee to gather comprehensive input about what the community desired to see at the Vista Field site.
Through these efforts, citizens identified and advocated for Vista Field to become a lively, urban core. Small-scale city blocks with pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, a mix of work and open spaces, restaurants, and shops were identified as essential elements.
The concepts and details included in the Vista Field Redevelopment Master Plan are the results of the community’s substantial and valuable feedback, and the close collaboration between the Port, City of Kennewick, other partners, and the public throughout the planning process.
103 acre site
8 phases of development
1 community-driven design
4 years of public involvement featuring a citizen task force, pattern language process, a charrette, public meetings and surveys
10 foot-wide sidewalks and small-scale streets focusing on walking, biking, public transit and inclusion of all modes of transportation
2.5 acre central plaza, 1 acre open parks, and smaller, hidden-gem public spaces
750,000 square feet of retail, office, service and entertainment uses
1,000 residential units ranging from single-family homes on urban-sized lots to condominium and apartments
Stay up to date by subscribing for our Vista Field project updates!