DELIVERING NEWS TO MID-COLUMBIA SENIORS SINCE 1982
AUGUST 2022
Vol. 10 | Issue 8
$40M senior complex takes shape near Canyon Lakes By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
An Oregon company that builds and operates residential facilities for seniors broke ground in May on Riverwalk Estates, a 149-unit, $40 million facility that will provide assisted and independent units near Canyon Lakes. Salem-based Hawthorn Construction Group is building the four-story residence off Highway 395 at 4704 W. Hildebrand Blvd., behind Dugout Sports Bar and the Kennewick branch of STCU credit union. Construction will take 24 months. Hawthorn Senior Living, the construction company’s Vancouver, Washington-based sister, will operate it once it opens to residents, said Sai Dasari, Hawthorn’s on-site construction manager. The building will offer individual units, private garages, a commercial kitchen and recreational amenities
Courtesy Hawthorn Senior Living Hawthorn Construction Group, based in Salem, Oregon, broke ground in May on Riverwalk Estates, a 149-unit, $40 million assisted and independent living home for seniors at 4704 W. Hildebrand Blvd. in Kennewick. Its sister company, Hawthorn Senior Living, will operate the facility.
such as a movie theater, bocce ball court and more. The building is on the north side of the property to maximize the distance between it and the single-family homes on Williams Street in Canyon
Lakes, which borders it to the south. The exterior will feature a mix of stone, Hardie siding and wood-like feature elements, according to planning documents. Lenity Architecture Inc. of Salem,
Oregon, is the designer. Knutzen Engineering of Kennewick is the engineer. Hawthorn has a national profile and is an active builder with projects across the country. It has seven in development with locations on the east and west coasts. A spokesperson said it was attracted by robust growth in the Tri-Cities. Hawthorn paid $2.75 million for the 7.74-acre property in a deal that closed Aug. 4, 2021. It owns the property under the name Kennewick Retirement Residence LLC, according to Benton County property records. The senior living facility will occupy about six acres. Hawthorn Retirement Group was acquired by Columbia Pacific Advisors in 2017. The Seattle-based investment firm has a focus on senior housing. At the time, Columbia said it was impressed by the strength of Hawthorn’s operations and its “substantial pipeline” of projects.
Mail by the Mall moves out of the path of Center Parkway extension By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Mail by the Mall, the feisty, independent mailbox business in the path of the future Center Parkway extension, has moved. The business started by Laurie McCoy and her late mother Dee is staying true to its name after moving into leased quarters “by the mall” at 1360 N. Louisiana St., Suite A. The new spot is near Olive Garden, Artfetti Cakes and the AMC Classic 12 movie theater. “My name is ‘Mail by the Mall,’ so I had to be close to the mall,” said Laurie McCoy, whose family agreed
to sell the old location, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., to the city of Richland in January for $745,000 through an eminent domain action. It was one of several parcels the city purchased in its bid to connect Center Parkway to Tapteal Drive across Port of Benton-owned railroad tracks. Richland, the lead on the $6 million project, took possession of the building and will award a road-construction contract in early August. The contract will include demolishing the old Mail by the Mall building. The new road could be open next spring, and will link Gage Boulevard to Tapteal Drive near Columbia Cen-
ter mall. But for Mail by the Mall, the only thing left in the old building is a sign in the window steering customers to the new one. “I mailed in the keys,” she said. The property also was the longtime home of McCoy’s Distributing, established in 1972 to supply pull tabs, bingo and casino supplies. Dan McCoy, Laurie McCoy’s brother, took over the business from their father and has moved it to the Vista Field area. He said the process went smoothly.
20 years of battles
The McCoy family first learned of the Center Parkway extension plan
more than 20 years ago and it cast a long shadow over the businesses, particularly when the private railroad operator fought – and lost – a battle to prevent it from crossing the tracks. Tri-City Railroad was evicted from the tracks in June after it lost a case in Benton County Superior Court over lack of track maintenance. Laurie McCoy tracked the project over the course of two decades, accumulating a thick file of news clippings and documents related to the extension and the various legal battles it spawned. Each time she planned updates to uMAIL BY THE MALL, Page 14
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
MONTHLY QUIZ
How many soccer fields does the city of Pasco maintain today? What should I include in my senior home first aid kit?
Page 3
Benton Franklin Fair grew from area’s rich agricultural history
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ANSWER, PAGE 9
PLEASE DELIVER TO CURRENT OCCUPANT Senior Times 8524 W. Gage Blvd., #A1-300 Kennewick, WA 99336
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PASCO, WA PERMIT NO. 8778