Kennewick convention center set to expand

The Three Rivers Convention Center is about to undergo a long-awaited expansion.

Construction of a new exhibit hall and additional lobby and meeting room space is expected to start late this year or early next year. The project will add 100,000 to 120,000 square feet to the Kennewick facility, which currently is about 82,000 square feet.

The additional space is needed to retain current events, add more and stay competitive as other convention centers in the region expand, said Corey Pearson, executive director.

“A lot of our conferences are starting to outgrow us. We need more room,” he said.

The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, for example, is holding a world tournament at the facility this month. The event will have to spill into the Toyota Center and Toyota Arena because there isn’t enough space in the convention center, Pearson said.

The goal is for the expansion to be finished and ready to open in June 2026.

The facility, at 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., will stay open while construction is going on.

Pearson said the project could cost up to $71 million.

It’ll be paid for using a mix of streams and sources, Pearson said, including about $8 million recently approved by the Kennewick City Council.

Also, “the current convention center will be paid off in 2026, so all the funds we use now to pay for the original construction bonds will roll over to the new project,” he said.

The funding streams will not include any new taxes, he said.

Meanwhile, A1 Pearl Development Group – part of the Tri-Cities-based A-1 Hospitality Group – plans to build a Marriott hotel that connects to the expansion.

It also plans retail space at the site.

The project is part of a public-private partnership to transform the site.

Construction is expected to start around the same time as the convention center expansion, Pearson told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

He’s excited about plans for the site, he said, noting many businesses in the community benefit from events at the convention center – from restaurants to shops.

“We want to make sure that we’re able to continue bringing that economic impact to the community, that we’re able to keep growing and going in the right direction,” he said.

The expansion is expected to generate close to 200,000 attendees and 70,600 room nights annually, according to information on the convention center website. That attendance jump will generate an estimated $130.8 million in total spending, $26.4 million in increased earnings and $6.9 million in sales tax and hotel/motel tax revenues, the information said.

Expansion has been discussed for years, though the Kennewick Public Facilities District – which operates the convention center – initially planned to pay for it through a sales tax increase. However, voters rejected an increase in 2013, 2016 and 2017.