City of West Richland Residential construction at the Heights at Red Mountain Ranch in West Richland. | Photo by Scott Butner Photography
More bedrooms to bring more commercial development BY KRISTINA LORD
W
est Richland often is called the TriCities’ bedroom
community. Plenty more bedrooms were built in the past year and more are coming with the buildout of the Heights at Red Mountain Ranch. The west end of the city saw a boom of new home construction in 2021. In 2020, the city recorded a total of 230 single-family residential home permits and zero multifamily permits. In 2019, there were 77 permits total. As of mid-September 2021, the city issued 90 multifamily permits and 210 single-family home permits. “That’s 300 units total this year so far, compared to the 230 we did all last year,” said Eric Mendenhall, West Richland’s
community development director. “When you look at that, that’s pretty significant.” Many feared the pandemic would stall residential construction. “There was a lot of uncertainty during the first quarter of (2021). There was still a lot going on with Covid, with building supplies and materials and the cost of housing, too. So, there’s been a bit of turmoil, but the market seems to be pushing on,” Mendenhall said. Indeed. The city has 599 lots for singlefamily homes and 273 multifamily projects poised for development. “They are not yet permitted and built on. Some are moving forward, possibly this year; others will be pushed to next year,” Mendenhall said.
Heights at Red Mountain Many of the city’s future
lots are coming online at Aho Development’s Heights at Red Mountain Ranch: 415 homes will be built, but they have not yet wound through the city’s permitting process. The next phases will bring the total development to 563 single-family homes, with another 226 multifamily homes. The project is estimated to accommodate 2,249 residents. “They’re moving at a pretty good tick,” Mendenhall said, adding that construction would be humming along even faster if the developer wasn’t facing pandemic-related material and supply delays. The Heights development features sweeping views of Red Mountain, just off Keene Road and West Van Giesen Street. In the past year, the land has been transformed into a new neighborhood, with newly-built houses already filling in with new Focus | Construction + Real Estate
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