Pasco board is considering these 4 sites for an aquatics park. Two really stood out
As a new tax money begins to flow into the coffers for Pasco’s $40 million water park, a decision could soon be made on where it will be.
Developers got a chance to pitch their locations for the future aquatic facility at the Public Facility District’s most recent meeting.
The presentations were on four potential sites, with two standing out for very different reasons. The sites the board spent the most time discussing were one in the Broadmoor development and one next to LifeQuest, near the HAPO Center.
Broadmoor
Two sites are in Pasco’s Broadmoor development, where roadwork recently began for the 700-acre mixed use project.
Between the Broadmoor Tax Increment Financing District funding, private development and roadway improvements to the Broadmoor and Interstate 182 interchange, about $100 million worth of roadwork will be done in the area.
Both sites under consideration for the aquatics center are roughly 20 acres, but could be split. The water park will need about 5 acres.
Tim Ufkes, the real estate broker representing the Broadmoor development, walked the board through the possible locations and gave them an idea of what is being built around them.
The first site is Lot 22, where Harris Road begins to curve parallel to I-182.
As Harris begins to curve, the new Road 108 will split off running north to south. Eventually the lot will be surrounded by apartments and homes.
A large city park also is planned to the west, but that won’t go in until all the development is finishing up because it will be at the site of the current gravel pit feeding the construction project.
The other site, which the board took more time to discuss, is Lot 19, at the southwest corner of the future intersection of the Sandifur Parkway extension and Road 108.
The site is near where Ben Franklin Transit has been eyeing a new terminal.
At 20 acres, it’s much more than the water park needs, but it’s perfect for the vision of a public campus that would include the aquatic facility, a new transit center and a new Mid-Columbia Library branch.
That current west Pasco library at Road 68 and Wrigley Drive would move to that site.
Matt Watkins, the aquatic facility project manager, said there already has been some discussion of what a campus could look like, and said the city of Pasco definitely has interest in partnering on a joint campus for those projects in the Broadmoor area.
While the aquatic facility will be in Pasco, it’s not technically under the city’s umbrella. The public facilities board operates independently, but has partnered with the city for certain legal and technical services.
Watkins told the board that whatever site they choose, Ben Franklin Transit wants to ensure they have either a transit hub or sufficient bus stops nearby.
“I think the magic formula is, we would be able to do a campus arrangement where we do have a Mid-Columbia (Library) branch, a transit hub and an aquatic center right next to each other,” he told the board.
Ufkes recommended Lot 19 if the board is interested in that kind of a partnership.
He said that it would situate the facility in the middle of a growing population center that will add thousands of new homes and apartments over the coming decade.
“If you take it in with the 2,800 acres annexed north of Burns, a large population center is being built in front of your eyes,” Ufkes said.
He also said that the lot sizes and boundaries are still flexible, so now is the time to look into shaping them to fit the needs of the community.
Ufkes said that if the Broadmoor development is chosen, the water park’s timeline would see it opening in line with the first phases of retail, commercial and residential.
Chapel Hill
The board also talked about one of the first properties eyed for the facility, near the end of Chapel Hill Boulevard.
The lot is a triangle-shaped piece of property between 182 and Crescent Road, next to the Broadmoor Apartments.
It’s owned by the owners of the complex, the Young family.
That lot is 4 acres and there is a 1 acre sliver running along the irrigation canal available from the Franklin County Irrigation District.
While the site would be large enough, the broker told the board they recently found out that it is being looked at as the possible location for a future 182 overpass, and they would know within a few months whether that is moving forward.
LifeQuest
The other site the board spent significant time discussing was the 5-acre lot offered by LifeQuest.
They first approached the board last fall about selling unused property south of their facility, and next to the baseball fields.
In addition to the prime sporting and convention center location, business owner Carl Cadwell told the board they can offer something other developers couldn’t, a partnership to help run the facility.
Their proposal comes with an offer to either help run the facility or sell their building for use as a recreation and senior center.
Under the offer to help the district manage the water park, they proposed a revenue share that would see $15 per month from every LifeQuest membership automatically going to the aquatic park. They would also have a larger shared parking lot.
The model would be mutually beneficial because it would be similar to the Pacific Clinic’s setup, which Cadwell founded originally as the Tri-City Court Club.
He said that when they added their water facility, memberships jumped. He estimated the partnership would generate about $400,000 in extra revenue for the facilities district.
Cadwell said the biggest concern is traffic flow in the area, but he pointed to plans already in the works to help alleviate congestion at the Road 68 and I-182 interchange.
After hearing from each of the presenters, the board moved into a short executive session to ask more questions. They will likely host a special meeting to discuss the options before making a decision.
The facility district’s regular board meetings are at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Pasco City Hall.
About the facility
The Pasco Aquatic Facility is the culmination of a decade-long effort to bring an aquatic facility to the Tri-Cities. The first effort for a regional facility failed in 2013, but the desire never waned.
Pasco eventually created its own PFD board, which brought the $40 million proposal to voters last April.
The effort was approved by voters with a 10% margin.
It will see a 0.2% sales tax increase in Pasco to pay for the new facility. That amounts to 2 cents being collected on a $10 purchase, and is expected to raise $40 million to build and operate the facility.
As proposed, the facility will be built on about 4.6 acres — the first phase would be nearly 47,000 square feet and the second just over 13,000 square feet.
The first phase includes an 8,000-square-foot indoor leisure pool, a 20,000-square-foot outdoor activity pool, a party room, classroom, outdoor concessions and locker rooms.
The next phase would see an 8-lane, 25-yard indoor competition pool added — paid for with the cash balance of the bond.
The plans could see some changes, though, as they enter the design and public input phases. It could eventually offer a competitive space for swim clubs.
Watkins hopes to host some public comment meetings this spring.
