'What's being built there?' New coffee stand at old Richland Albertsons + Amazon updates

Welcome to “What’s being built there?”

This regular Tri-City Herald feature offers descriptions and updates about construction projects in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland and beyond.

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Kennewick

Take 5 Oil Change

151 N. Ely St.

Site work has started for a new oil change shop in the CVS Pharmacy parking lot near Highway 395 and West Clearwater.

Hummel Construction and Development is building the shop. The city of Kennewick issued a building permit on June 25.

The 1,500-square-foot shop has a construction value of $975,000 and will feature three service bays as well as an office, storage room and bathroom.

Highlands Center Holdings LLC is the property owner.

Transition housing at Recovery Center

900 S. Auburn St.

Benton County has begun construction of an 18-unit transitional housing complex at the newly open Columbia Valley Center for Recovery, in the former Kennewick General Hospital building in downtown Kennewick.

The $9 million housing project will help patients from the recover center transition to sober living.

The standalone 11,400-square-foot building features separated housing for men and women with a courtyard and community facilities.

Bouten Construction is the contractor. NAC Architecture is the designer.

Victoria’s Academy of Cosmetology

6 W. Kennewick Ave.

Victoria’s Academy of Cosmetology has started a project to convert the historic former Washington Hardware in downtown Kennewick into a new school and training center.

The interior renovations are valued at $225,000, according to planning records. Current work includes removing the old Washington Hardware facade, which revealed hidden second-story windows.

Washington Hardware closed in March following a liquidation sale. Victoria’s paid $925,000 for the 1905-built building in December for $925,000, property records show.

Pasco

Amazon Project Pearl Update

1202 S. Road 40 E.

The cost to retool a vacant Amazon warehouse in east Pasco is approaching $48 million as the ecommerce giant and its contractors pursue permits from the city of Pasco.

Amazon has secured or applied for seven permits totaling $47.4 million to convert the 1.02 million-square-foot warehouse known as Project Pearl into a receiving center for incoming merchandise.

The primary permit contemplated $30 million of work to add dock doors, fencing, electrical, telecom and security upgrades and make other changes.

A more recent application proposes $2 million in electrical upgrades to accommodate conveyor systems.

Amazon and Ryan Development constructed two massive warehouses near Sacajawea State Park. They sat idle for a period until one, Project Oyster was previously repurposed into a receiving center.

Richland

Drive-Thru Cafe at old Albertsons

1308 Lee Blvd.

Work has begun to replace parking near Richland’s long-closed Albertson with an unnamed drive-thru cafe and coffee stand.

The drive-thru will be 612 square feet and will cost $128,000 to build, according to a June building permit.

Lee Commercial LLC is the property owner. Fenix LLC of Mesa is the contractor.

West Richland

Friends Corner Opens

4280 W. Van Giesen St.

Friends Corner Gas Station is expected to open this week.

The 4,000-square-foot project includes a convenience store and fueling station with eight pumps.

OMJSR LLC is the owner and LCR Construction built the project, which has a construction value of $2.5 million.